


Parallel

by xNekorux



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), Crossover, F/F, League x K/DA Crossover, THERE'S TWO OF EACH OF THEM, Unexpectedly Not a One-shot Anymore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:41:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 51,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22528027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xNekorux/pseuds/xNekorux
Summary: What happens when the Daughter of the Void meets the recent winner of a famous dance competition?Or when the gumiho of the League meets the face of FOXY cosmetics?Or when a lustful demon meets a tender-hearted diva?Or lastly, when a deadly Ionian rogue meets a ramyun-addicted rapper?(Warning: Like what my friend said, double the gayness, but it's confusing af xD)
Relationships: Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends), Kai'Sa/Sivir (League of Legends)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 450





	1. Parallel

**Parallel** _(Original League x K/DA Crossover)_

With the Institute of War mediating the affairs between nations when it came to territory disputes, war and bloodshed had significantly lessened. The mediation ushered in peace and a form of unity that kept people, fighters and civilians, well and alive.

When Kai'Sa's village was overtaken by the Void and the latter became her new home, she grew accustomed to dealing with the unnatural and unpredictable. _Zz'Rot Portals_ would open up here and there, spawning _Voidspawns_ that either ignored her or ended up being blasted in a splatter of purple if ever they dared attack her.

Recently, Kai'Sa had just returned from the Institute of War and was back at the Void after the High Council had announced a concern about some type of magic fluctuation during one of their testing trials in opening portals between nations. They had conducted such to provide League champions a much easier way to travel to and from the Institute instead of being summoned right off the bat or traveling for hours, sometimes days, just to participate in a sanctioned battle.

High Councilor Vessaria asked her personally to investigate in the Void to check if ever the location itself was affected with the shockwave the summoning had given off. Due to the symbiotic bond she had formed with the Void creature attached to her back and years of living in the Void itself, both aspects allowed her to walk through the perilous location without much worry for her safety.

So far, all she saw were the usual cracks in the dead soil, where purplish mists oozed out. For an hour or two, Kai'Sa did nothing but roam around and observe with a keen gaze, until her eyes eventually landed on something glowing ahead of her. Voidspawns scrambled away from the source, seemingly disturbed by whatever it was.

Eyebrows furrowing, Kai'Sa ran up to the origin of the glow to investigate. Much to her surprise though, the entire thing looked so alike with a normal Zz'Rot Portal, but instead of an ominous, dark purple tint, the orb-like center of the portal shifted between colors. The whole portal possessed a glowing white outline, while various colors swirled within and changed its tint consistently.

The more Kai'Sa approached it and scared off the smaller Void creatures that were brave enough to stay around, the more she took notice of what had already spewed out of the portal. She gave a brief scan of her surroundings, noting how there were many small and big trinkets and items scattered all around the portal.

It looks like it's been open for quite a while.

A soft crunch of a paper reached her ears when she took another step forward, prompting her to look down and pull her right foot back. Her face cover retracted and unveiled her entire head, allowing her a much a clearer view of what she had stepped on. Bending down and picking up what looked like a printed mini-poster, Kai'Sa easily dusted off the soil from the glossy paper.

"What the...?"

Eyes widening in shock, Kai'Sa found herself staring at a much human version of herself. Vibrant violet hair mostly styled into two buns and body posing along with three other females that wore the same flashy outfit this version of herself in the poster donned. She blinked at the image she had in hand, flipping it over to see if it had anything written behind it.

When she flipped it back and checked the front face again, her eyes trailed down to the signatures below each individual in the picture. Her gaze zeroed in on what seemed to be _her_ signature underneath her lookalike. She brushed her thumb over the cursive letters, still unable to believe she might actually be seeing what she could have looked like if she hadn't fallen into the Void.

"By the Void, what is this...?"

Kai'Sa eventually got over her initial shock and continued observing the three other women in the group picture. The moment she spotted the blonde fox-like human, her eyes once again widened. There was no mistake that one right beside her look-alike was _Ahri_! The ears and the signature below was a dead giveaway already.

Although she had only met the _gumiho_ and had battled alongside her in the Rift for a handful of times, Kai'Sa was absolutely certain she was looking at an image of Ahri. The only difference would probably just be the hair and eye color, but as for other physical features, they could be mistaken as twins or siblings.

"It can't be... Can it?" Kai'Sa shook her head as she spoke to no one, moving on to the next person in the picture.

The cap-wearing female leaning onto the woman at her right instantly caused Kai'Sa to think about every female champion she had met in the League. At first she compared the blue-eyed individual to every champion that possessed blue eyes, but Kai'Sa came up empty-handed. She then realized there was a signature there as well. The name matched with one of the Ionian champions she had encountered after one of her matches.

"Akali. That's her." Kai'Sa murmured to herself, nodding as she did.

The Ionian ninja had her mask off during their brief encounter, so Kai'Sa had the opportunity to at least see her face before it was eventually concealed. That memory was enough for her to confirm that the similarities between the ninja and this other female was enough to be considered uncanny. After confirming to herself that it was indeed Akali, she finally wandered her gaze to the fourth woman in the group.

Amaranth magenta hair, amber gold eyes and a gaze that shouted vixen, Kai'Sa immediately ran through all the possible matches the woman could share any similarities with. Since the first three seemed to be connected to her, Ahri and Akali, she figured that the fourth one was also a League champion.

It took her longer than the first three, but she eventually gave up and settled on believing the written signature. Kai'Sa pursed her lips for a moment, recalling the wicked tittering of the demon she had been teammates with literally for at least two times. She remembered the experience because the succubus, Evelynn, made sure to visit her lane rather often than others to kill their opponent, only to tease her before and after the whole fight.

It was honestly weird to see a more human version of the mischievous demon.

"Strange..." Kai'Sa whispered to none other than herself again, finding the whole poster more than unusual now.

The group itself was so random and she couldn't help but think of how odd of a combination they were. Shaking her head, she rolled up the poster and tucked it under her arm before she proceeded to look around.

Kai'Sa hadn't even taken more than two steps when she spotted something shining on the dirt. She bent down and retrieved it, finding herself holding a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. It took a second, but she suddenly recalled the image of the human Evelynn wearing the same accessory in the poster.

Choosing to hold onto the glasses to take back with her at the Institute, Kai'Sa continued inspecting the vicinity. Within a few minutes of her search, she found a dark reddish-purple fur accessory, a black face mask with a glowing vinyl-like design, a cap with a _'K/DA'_ logo and last was what seemed to be a neck accessory. All of these were in the poster she had seen, so she figured she could take these for now rather than the other strange-looking things around her.

Judging from how out of place the other things that decorated the surroundings of the weird portal, they looked like they originated from different universes. There was what's supposed to be a white metallic contraption that shared similarities of a bow, its blue light fluctuating when Kai'Sa saw it. Not only that, but she also found a surfboard with the a sun-theme design, a bluish-red dragon egg, a jade gauntlet, a soccer ball with a couple of signatures written all over it and many more.

For now though, Kai'Sa settled with what she had in hand and chose to return to the Institute to report the mystifying Zz'Rot Portal to the High Councilor.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Maybe she should've surrendered the items she had taken. Maybe what she did, which was keep the things she had taken for her own intentions, was better. No one would really know what's right and wrong in this situation, because this was highly likely the first time something like this had ever happened to a League champion.

Right now, Kai'Sa was walking through the Institute garden, hoping to seek for a secluded spot where she could closely inspect the things she had retrieved from the Void.

Initially, she thought of doing such at her champion quarters, but to get there, she would have to walk around with the items in hand. Knowing there would be a lot of curious eyes that would find them suspicious, she opted in hiding the items somewhere outside the walls of the Institute before she reported everything to the High Council.

Kai'Sa settled in a small space surrounded by tall plants and thick trees, placing the items around her as she did. She unrolled the poster and audited the image again, still in disbelief with the group and how more human she, Ahri and Evelynn looked in the print.

Reaching at her left where she had placed the neck accessory with her gaze still fixated on her alternate image, she felt her fingertips touch something soft and furry instead of the cool material of the choker. She moved her hand down a bit and ended up feeling what seemed to be a snout?

Turning around, Kai'Sa found herself staring at blue eyes that belonged to none other than a white fox, whose gaze was wide, curious and directly focused on her. The choker she was looking for was dangling over the creature's snout, which actually made the whole display absolutely adorable.

"Uhh, hi." Kai'Sa greeted with uncertainty, unsure where the fox came from.

"Yip!" The fox responded back, tails calmly swaying behind it.

"What're you doing here?" Kai'Sa patted her lap as a form of invitation, which the fox happily took. It hopped over to her, giving her chin a little nuzzle before she managed to take the accessory from its snout.

As expected though, she didn't receive any verbal response other than two yips. The fox turned to the other items the other had laid out, only for its eyes to widen upon the sight of the poster.

Kai'Sa immediately closed her eyes the second the fox jumped forward and caused its tails to harmlessly brush over her face. Not only did she think that this fox wasn't the cuddling type, but she also discovered the animal wasn't normal at all. After all, it apparently has _nine_ tails. The fox approached the poster, standing across Kai'Sa before it started pawing at the image.

"Oh, you like that?" Kai'Sa queried, finding the sight cute.

The fox yipped and nodded eagerly before a rush of air blew once its tails moved forward, engulfing the creature until a white glow began emitting through the thin gaps. Kai'Sa closed her eyes again when the glow brightened even more, opening them only when she was sure the blinding brightness was gone.

Much to her surprise, she found herself staring at Ahri, who picked up the poster in her now human hands. Eyes wide with wonder, Ahri looked at the printed image with pure curiosity similar to a child's.

"Ahri?" Kai'Sa spoke up, not at all expecting the creature she was petting earlier was a fellow champion.

"Where did you get this?" Ahri asked, eyes still fixated on her lookalike.

Kai'Sa knew a _gumiho_ like Ahri have their feral form, but she never did predict that she'd actually witness the transformation itself. Although she barely saw it with all the glowing it gave off.

"This is me." Ahri said, pointing at the blonde-haired version of herself. "Or at least it's _supposed_ to be me. Who is she?"

"I, um, don't know."

"Who are _they_?" Ahri turned the image and showed it to Kai'Sa, now inquiring about the whole group instead of just her doppelganger.

**"What're you two doing?"**

Both women snapped their heads to the nearby tree, where they spotted one particular ninja that seemed to have been roused out of the slumber she was enjoying on the branch she was perched at. A part of her mask poked out of her pouch, which left her face unveiled and completely free for anyone to see.

With a swift turn, Akali left her perch and landed on the ground on her two feet. She dusted herself as she approached the duo seated on the ground. Softly grunting, Akali sat down on the grass with them. She didn't exactly have anything to do, so she might as well pass the time with whatever it was Ahri and Kai'Sa were doing. The two were already an odd pair to begin with.

"What's this?" Akali asked with half-interest, using one finger to raise the black face mask.

"A mask." Kai'Sa simply answered, not really knowing if she should ask the two Ionians to leave or just let them do whatever they're doing.

"Looks weird."

Kai'Sa was just about to comment about the accessory when she abruptly stopped herself when the cap was quietly pulled from its place and slowly floated up in the air, the latter being done by something thin and dark purple. She was the only one who took notice of everything, for Ahri was too focused on hanging the choker on her right ear, while Akali was closely inspecting the glow-in-the-dark mask.

**"As if it's different from your own mask."** Came a velvety voice from behind Akali.

While the ninja stilled, Ahri finally focused her attention on the demon materializing right behind her fellow Ionian. Although she herself was not a mere human, she still felt the need to keep her guard up once Evelynn fully became visible to their sights.

Her lasher practically slapped the hat onto Akali's head, the head accessory securely situated on top of her head. Behind her, Evelynn smiled in satisfaction, lowering the sunglasses she had stolen probably a moment ago. She smirked once she felt Akali tense, knowing the ninja knew who idled behind her.

**_Whoosh!_ **

"Ooh, there she goes." Evelynn calmly commented when Akali abruptly threw herself forward and in between Kai'Sa and Ahri. She rolled on the dirt before turning to face Evelynn with now a fair distance away from her and a kunai drawn and ready to be used for either offense or defense. Surprisingly, the cap didn't fall from her head.

"What the hell are you doing here, demon?"

"I'm _always_ around." Evelynn proudly replied, winking. "Did I startle you?"

" _Tch!_ Don't flatter yourself." Akali retorted in a heartbeat, eyes filled with utter distrust and disgust.

"My, that gaze of yours." Evelynn's smirk threatened to widen, her hands adjusting the fur she had also taken from Kai'Sa's little collection and had wrapped around her shoulders. She tapped her lips as she eyed Akali with a mischievous look. "Tell me, love, would you like me to bite you now or later?"

Akali growled and was just about to say another threat, but she was cut off the second Kai'Sa stood up and took all of their attention with the entire motion. With three pairs of eyes fixated on her, Kai'Sa took the opportunity to address all of them.

"Can I please be left alone with my trinkets?" Her tone was polite, but it did hint a bit of annoyance, which was mainly caused by the sudden disturbance of the trio.

"But this is mine, isn't it?" Ahri asked, pointing at the choker hanging on one of her fox ears.

"And _these_ ," Evelynn started, glancing at the scarf-like fur and glasses for a brief moment. "are mine."

"You can keep the mask." Akali said, hiding her kunai back in her pouch before nodding her head at the mask she ended up leaving near Evelynn. "This hat, too."

Akali grabbed the rim of the cap and placed it near Kai'Sa's feet, standing up after and brushing off the dirt that stuck on her clothes and skin. She was quick to excuse herself, nodding to Ahri and Kai'Sa and shooting a glare at the smirking demon before finally taking her leave.

"She's feisty, isn't she?" Evelynn eventually broke the silence that had engulfed them, eyeing the ninja that was gradually disappearing from their line of vision. "Oh, I hope she likes the taste of her own blood."

"Doesn't the Institute have a rule against harming a champion outside the Rift?" Ahri reminded, warily observing for any possible violent reactions from the succubus.

Evelynn cooed and turned to face Ahri, a sly grin showing off her deadly canines. "And who said anything about hurting her? I just want to _play_."

"You play with your _food_."

A fiendish chuckle. "Precisely."

Kai'Sa coughed audibly, cutting off the pair's conversation. Once she recaptured their attention, she wore a brave face as she said, "Can you two leave as well? I would very much want to inspect these trinkets of mine by myself."

Despite the curiosity she could still feel swirling in her head, Ahri chose to respect Kai'Sa's request. She apologized for disturbing her and decided to push her findings at the back of her mind. Ahri transformed back to her feral form, yipping at Kai'Sa before she left her and the demon alone.

Now, she only needed to deal with Evelynn, who she then found standing and meeting her eye with her grin returning. She had the fur accessory dangling over right hand and the sunglasses was on top of it, both items being offered back to her. She was sure that the succubus wanted something in return though.

"I'm _immensely_ curious in where you acquired these so called trinkets." Evelynn purred, placing the accessories on Kai'Sa's waiting hand. She then moved behind the latter, her claws harmlessly tracing over her shoulder. "Promise that you'll show me where they came from next time, alright? I'm just _dying_ to know."

Kai'Sa parted her lips to utter a verbal response, but all she managed to do was nod wordlessly. Fortunately, it was enough for the siren, who smiled sweetly and leaned in to give her cheek a quick kiss.

"Good girl."

And with that, Evelynn shifted back to her _Demon Shade_ and eventually disappeared from Kai'Sa's sights. The Daughter of the Void was only able to breathe normally and much easily when she finally felt like she was alone again.

Once again, she settled back on the grass, now taking her own turn in inspecting.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

_Five Days Later..._

All of the champions and summoners present in the Institute were gathered at the main hall, where High Councilor Vessaria made an announcement regarding the magic fluctuation the High Summoners had caused a few days ago.

After reassuring everyone that everything was taken care of and under complete control, the High Councilor made it explicitly clear that champions and unauthorized summoners weren't allowed at one of the summoning chambers, which was apparently being used for _'Institute purposes'_. Although it was unclear what it was exactly, it's still enough to pique the interest of the Agony's Embrace, especially when Vessaria said that whoever disobeys would be severely punished.

Ever since Evelynn had caught Kai'Sa fiddling with a bunch of random items that clearly came from a different world, she had been quite eager to speak with her fellow champion again. Mainly because she wanted to know if there's a way she could actually travel to the world where those trinkets came from. A world that would likely not have any people capable enough to limit her hunt and her hunger for the endless pain of her victims.

Using her invisibility, Evelynn snuck along one of the High Summoners the High Council had permitted entry to the summoning chamber that was mentioned earlier. Just like what she predicted, the one the people of the Institute was concealing from them was indeed the portal Kai'Sa had uncovered at the Void.

Regardless of the fact that Evelynn herself didn't see it with her own eyes initially, all she had to do was listen to the words that were exchanged between summoners and their reports to _Vessaria Kolminye_ , who nodded in return as she intently listened to each and every word her people spoke to her.

Based from what the demon had learned from her eavesdropping, the portal seemed to have grown and was said to be in its full size. It was much bigger than the normally smaller Zz'Rot Portals scattered in and around the Void, but its color was what made it truly different.

Evelynn also learned that the portal also has a vast possibility in being controlled if studied well enough to learn how and once they can manage it, they mentioned that traveling to different universes would be an attainable feat as well.

Smiling to herself, Evelynn left the chamber undetected and utterly determined in testing and seeing if Kai'Sa can use her bond with the Void to manipulate this particular portal. If all goes well, then Evelynn won't have to stay in Runeterra.

Evening eventually came and while most champions and summoners were retreating in their assigned quarters, the Daughter of the Void can be found at the training hall. She was improving her accuracy and she usually took advantage of how empty the training area usually is at night hours. It made her less self-conscious.

But tonight would be the first time she would regret training during evenings.

"Hello, hello, Kai'Sa." Was the soft, honey-like greeting of the demon lounging on the bench behind her.

Jumping in surprise, Kai'Sa quickly spun around and nearly fired a barrage at Evelynn, who coolly relaxed on the bench as if it was the softest, most comfortable furniture in the Institute of War.

"Evelynn." She greeted back rather curtly, not exactly fond of associating herself with someone as dangerous as the siren before her.

"Remember what you promised me a few days ago?" Evelynn asked in a tone she attempted to pass off as innocent.

Kai'Sa suppressed a groan. That wasn't a voluntary promise. She felt like she was put on the spot that time and was left with no choice but to say yes. She couldn't exactly decline a demon, especially with its lashers ready to murder her if she were to displease her.

"The portal I found those items from," she started, knowing she couldn't make a break for it and hope Evelynn never finds her again. "it's not in the Void anymore. It disappeared. I cannot keep the promise I made."

"Oh, but you _can_." Evelynn insisted, smiling wickedly as she vacated the bench. "I found the portal. It's right here, in the Institute."

The surprise was evident in Kai'Sa's gaze, despite the fact that her facial expression remained neutral. "It is?"

"Mm-hm. It's in the summoning chamber the High Council had mentioned."

"If you already know where it is and where the trinkets came from, then why ask me still?"

"Because I need you." Evelynn bluntly replied. "Or more accurately speaking, your bond."

Kai'Sa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "My bond? My bond with what?"

"With what else? The Void of course!" Evelynn answered back with a little laugh. "I want you to try and influence the portal. Set it to a universe that I would like to traverse in."

"Why?"

"Why _not_ would be a much better question."

"You... You want to leave."

"Of course I do." Evelynn rolled her eyes at how Kai'Sa seemed to be so slow in catching up with her intention. "Why would I desire to stay _here_? This place is like a generous _prison_. I may still be allowed to hunt my prey, but there are _limits_. I _despise_ limits."

Kai'Sa thought about declining, but with how Evelynn tapped her foot impatiently on the floor and how she was moving her nails along as a reminder of what she could do to her, it looks like the ability to make a choice with her not getting in a fight was stolen yet again by the demon before her.

"Fine," Kai'Sa conceded, maintaining a fearless gaze as she met the demon's own stare. "but I cannot guarantee that I can open a portal strong enough to allow you to travel to another universe."

"Are you saying the portal might close?"

"I'm saying that there's a possibility you could either be lost in between universes or just be stuck in a random dimension."

.....

.....

.....

Evelynn shrugged.

She literally _just_ shrugged, not even the least bit worry of the dire consequences if ever the whole portal thing failed. She turned away and ushered Kai'Sa to follow after her, saying, "Follow closely, then. I don't have all evening."

Kai'Sa blinked at Evelynn for a couple of times before she shook her head and trailed after her, thinking the siren was probably as crazy as she is deadly. The sooner they get this over with, the sooner she'll get the demon off her back.

Meanwhile, the Nine-Tailed Fox was walking through one of the hallways and intended to retire in her sleeping chambers when she spotted an extraordinary duo going down one of the halls ahead of her. It was Evelynn and Kai'Sa. While the former walked with a confident stride, the latter was more tense and rigid.

Seeing the two together prompted Ahri to remember everything she had seen from the weird poster. She had been trying to forget about it for the past couple of days, but she just couldn't. Against better judgment, Ahri chose to tail the pair and see what they were up to. Internally, she was hoping it was something that involved the items from before.

.....

.....

.....

**_Thud! Thud! Thud!_ **

The three Institute guards fell on the floor the second Evelynn choked the air out of them until they all lost consciousness. While the two suffered the much rougher grip of her lashers around their necks, one of them was personally handled by the demon's very own hands.

"They're not dead." Evelynn quickly reassured Kai'Sa, not wanting the latter to run away in terror or anything. "Merely unconscious, so need not fear for what I've done. Now, come."

The two entered the summoning chamber, the glow of the portal greeting them upon their arrival. It was still spewing random things apparently, since there were many otherworldly things scattered around it. Although this time, Kai'Sa spotted another jade gauntlet exactly similar to the first one she saw and right beside it was what looked like a gold rifle with the same design.

"Hurry up now."

Kai'Sa almost stumbled forward when one of Evelynn's lashers pushed her towards the portal, its owner growing more and more impatient by the second.

"I don't even know if I _can_ actually influence it." Kai'Sa grumbled, cautiously approaching the portal.

"Go ahead and _try_ , then."

Sighing and shortly scolding herself mentally for letting the demon control and order her around like this, Kai'Sa decided to raise her right and slowly reach out to the portal. She truly didn't know how she would be able to channel the portal's energy, so she thought of doing the first thought that came into mind. She'll think about the items she had taken and hopefully, the portal would shift to the same universe where it originated.

.....

.....

.....

**"What the...! What're you two doing!?"**

Both of their gazes whipped towards the entrance, where they found Akali regarding them with a look of shock and disbelief. The Ionian hadn't even said or done anything after her abrupt question when Evelynn disappeared from her place, only to reappear behind her after a few seconds of her standing there in shock mainly caused by the portal's sight.

Akali spun around and tried kicking Evelynn, who dodged her leg and the kunai that followed up after. The demon grinned and hissed once she disarmed the ninja, sending the kunai skidding to the side before she gave the Ionian a backhand slap to distort her for a moment.

In a flash, Akali was completely bound and wrapped in her lashers. Evelynn hurriedly went back inside the chambers, hissing angrily at how Kai'Sa had halted her attempts of manipulating the portal.

"What're you waiting for?" Evelynn snarled before shoving a finger at the direction of the portal. "Hurry before my patience diminishes completely."

Seeing at how Akali uselessly struggled in the grasp of Evelynn's lashers, Kai'Sa spun back around and started inching towards the portal. She thought of the same idea she was thinking about before the interruption, cursing under her breath when she felt a surge of power come from the portal and course through her entire right arm.

Gasping, Kai'Sa pulled her hand back and refocused her gaze to the portal, which changed its color. Once assuming a color-changing hue, now it was dark purple with hints of blue and white wisps swirling inside.

"I... I think that's it."

"That's all?" Evelynn asked, now standing right beside her and looking absolutely unfazed with Akali's squirming behind her.

"I think so. I'm not sure." Kai'Sa glanced at Evelynn. "I told you, I don't...-"

Evelynn shushed her and raised a hand in addition before she herself gradually neared the portal. "I know, I know."

.....

.....

.....

**_Slam!_ **

For the second time, the two of them turned to the entrance again, while Akali halted her struggles and redirected her gaze to the same direction. There they found Ahri, who seemed to be responsible for suddenly shutting the doors of the summoning chamber behind her.

"Ahri?" The three chorused, Akali's version being more muffled and more like a call for help rather than like the other two's somewhat confused response.

"It's Kolminye." Ahri said, hurriedly approaching them. "She's here to check on the portal with the High Council."

"Well, we best take our leave." Evelynn was just about to touch the portal when Kai'Sa abruptly clasped a hand over her shoulder. "What?"

"What about us? Where will the three of us go? She'll catch us."

Evelynn shrugged. "I don't see how that's my problem."

"Mmm!" Akali tried speaking up, thrashing in Evelynn's lashers to remind her that she's still in her clutches.

"No time! They're here!" Ahri panicked and chose to push all of them towards the portal, which was somehow their only escape ticket.

Kai'Sa's protest and Akali's incomprehensible cuss was cut off the second the four of them fell forward, the portal engulfing them with a bright purplish-white light before it reverted back to its white-outlined, multicolored state.

By the time Vessaria pushed the doors open and caught sight of the portal, the four champions were gone.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

_In the K/DA Universe..._

**(** _Italicized_ _names_ **refer to the characters originally in the K/DA universe)**

Head comfortably resting and hair sprawled all over a soft pillow and a phone clutched by her left hand, _Evelynn_ spent her early morning quietly reading the latest news online. Her other hand was brushing through the brown tresses of the woman right beside her, the latter's head resting on her shoulder.

"Eve..."

"Shh..." _Evelynn_ delicately hushed, smiling as she planted a kiss on her bed partner's forehead. "It's still early, darling. Go back to sleep."

The other, who was apparently _Akali_ didn't need to be told twice. After snuggling closer than she already was and taking a moment to relish the skin contact between their naked bodies underneath the blanket, she eventually fell back in the hold of comfort and slumber.

Once _Evelynn_ was sure her lover was asleep again, she returned her gaze to her phone and proceeded to read the article she had just tapped on. Apparently, there was some sort of break-in at the _Valoran Museum_. There were four unidentified suspects and many speculations had already begun due to the footage that was taken and was being broadcasted in the news.

What seemed to be gravely confusing the authorities were the things attached to the so called _'extreme vandals'_ of the museum. Two of them had two unidentified parts extending from the back of their bodies, while one of them were said to have nine _'contraptions'_ attached on the back as well. The reporters say that only one out of the four suspects looked normal. All of this was of course merely speculations.

Sighing, _Evelynn_ placed her phone back on the bedside the before she shifted until she was embracing her girlfriend in her arms. _Akali_ mumbled in her sleep, earning her a kiss on top of her head before the amber-eyed woman settled on getting some more sleep as well.

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

"Look at what you did!"

Clearly unafraid of the kunai pressed against her throat and the snarling ninja in front of her, Evelynn merely stared at Akali in amusement, further causing the Ionian's anger and frustration to significantly increase. Despite the loud echo of Akali's enraged words, the deserted parking lot the four took refuge in remained empty and void of any other people but themselves.

"If it weren't for your wicked meddling, we wouldn't be stuck in this twisted world!"

"I could hardly call this world twisted." Evelynn scoffed, still finding the time to chuckle at their predicament. "And excuse me, but I wasn't exactly the one that pushed us all into the portal."

"Why are you blaming me?" Ahri questioned, gesturing at herself. "I was only trying to save all of you from being punished."

"I'd honestly rather face the Institute's punishments than be sent to a different dimension." Kai'Sa murmured, looking around as if someone might jump out and launch an attack at them.

"Oh, so now that everything went wrong for the three of you, the blame suddenly falls on me." Evelynn scoffed again. "How more amusing can this get?"

Akali growled and slammed Evelynn against the surface of the concrete foundation she was pinned against. "You're an absolute lunatic!"

"I'm a demon, honey." Evelynn cooed back at her. "I'll _never_ be the sane one in a group."

Snarling furiously, Akali pulled the kunai back and intended on running the blade over the demon's vulnerable neck, but Ahri reached forward and intercepted her wrist before she could swing the weapon back.

"Akali," Ahri spoke up, firmly clutching her wrist. "don't."

"Why shouldn't I? She's one less demon to deal with."

"Ooh, just try me, darling." Evelynn taunted, grinning and showing off her canines. "Give me a reason to _sink_ my claws into that pretty skin of yours."

"Evelynn, stop it!" Ahri interrupted before further provoking could be done.

"Umm, not to cut off your little argument there," Kai'Sa glanced to her left, where people with hard hats and construction uniform can be found gradually entering their line of vision. "but we need to move if we want to avoid detection."

While Ahri nodded and led them to the other direction where she spied an exit for them to take, Evelynn didn't give Akali a chance to react. Her lashers quickly wrapped her up again, clasping over her mouth first before she could utter a profanity or a scream of rage. Once she was enveloped yet again, Evelynn gave Akali a teasing flying kiss before following after their two other companions.

Using both their ability of invisibility, Kai'Sa and Evelynn weaved through the people without taking any sort of attention. Although Evelynn purposely bumped her lashers around with as much obstacle as she can find. A muffled yelp even reached her ears when she heard Akali's head bump onto one of the street poles they passed, prompting her withhold a snicker.

From the sidelines and swiftly jumping from one cover to another was Ahri, who was in her feral form. She couldn't exactly run around in her human form or else her appearance and tails would serve as a huge beacon for attention.

Somewhat typically, the four of them ended up at the back of a tall skyscraper. There were closed dumpsters here, garbage bags there and a couple of other junk littered around the area. Regardless, there was no one there and the surveillance camera was only pointed at the direction of the back door. It's an area they stayed away from.

Evelynn purposely dumped Akali on top of the garbage bags, chuckling to herself as she did. Despite earning a look from Ahri and Kai'Sa, she merely smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she walked away from the ninja.

Akali scrambled off the trash, growling angrily and withdrawing another kunai from her pouch. She tried charging and swinging at Evelynn, but much to her surprise, it clashes with the same kunai she used earlier to threaten the demon.

"Aww, did you really expect I won't make use of this?" Evelynn asked teasingly, grinning at how vexed Akali looked once she realized her own weapon was being used against her. "You are truly amusing."

"Alright, that's enough!" Shockingly, it was Kai'Sa that intervened this time. She pushed the two apart, the Void parasite attached behind her glowing menacingly as she shot the bickering duo a glare each. "If you two keep going at each other's throats, we won't ever get back to our world!"

"But...-" Akali tried reasoning, only to be harshly shushed.

"But nothing! You two will now have a truce from this point onward, or Gods help me, I will _not_ hesitate to pulverize you both from where you stand now."

.....

.....

.....

Much more shockingly than Kai'Sa's abrupt snap, Evelynn was the first to back down and briefly raise her hands in forfeit, while Akali grumbled under her breath as she concealed her kunai again.

Silence fell upon the unusual bunch, only for such to be dispelled by the shouting and loud calling that came from the front of the building.

The four exchanged glances before they crept around the building, the three of them carefully peeking around the corner, while Evelynn just stood out in the open with her invisibility cloaking her from anyone's eyes.

People with cameras took pictures of what seemed to be a blonde-haired celebrity. The security of the building were pushing the photographers aside, which gave the four a clear view of who it was. As if her appearance wasn't enough of a confirmation, the fans and paparazzi surrounding her cried her name out for attention.

"Ahri! Ahri!"

"Ahri! Over here!"

"Ahri, can you answer a couple of questions?"

"Ahri!"

As expected, the first one to react to the sight was the _gumiho_ among the group.

"That was me!" Ahri pointed out with wide eyes once they moved back to their previous location. "The one on the photograph you had of our alternate selves! They were even calling out my name!"

"That means you succeeded in manipulating the portal." Evelynn said, turning to look at Kai'Sa. "You managed to open the same universe where those items came from."

"I guess I did." Kai'Sa murmured. "But, that still doesn't tell us how we'll be able to get back."

"We came from a place called Valoran Museum, didn't we?" Akali reminded, recalling their first arrival in this alternate world. "If we ended up there after going through the portal from our world, then maybe we can go through the same one again."

"We can't exactly go back there now though." Ahri said with a frown. "The place was swarmed by people the second we left, so I highly doubt we'll be able to leave this world _now_."

"Then stay here and wait for your opportunity." Evelynn advised with a roll of her eyes.

Akali narrowed her eyes at the succubus. "And what about you? What're you going to do?"

"Me? Oh, I'll be starting my murder spree tonight. After all, that's why I came here in the first place. Now, if you'd excuse me."

Evelynn hadn't even fully turned around when Kai'Sa suddenly grasped her by the arm, preventing her from making her departure from the group. She eyed the hand of the other before she fixed her gaze on the markswoman, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not leaving us. Not until we get back home at least."

Evelynn scoffed. "And what makes you think you can make me stay and assist you?"

"You might be able to defeat Akali, but can you actually guarantee your victory if you're up against us three?" As Kai'Sa said this, Akali and Ahri stood alongside her, which emphasized the point she was making.

Both Ahri and Kai'Sa had no intention for an unnecessary fight against the demon, but if resorting to a certain amount of violence is the only way to return home, then they won't hesitate to do such. As for Akali, she was feeling a bit excited to finally be allowed in taking action against the siren.

The Agony's Embrace wanted to give another retort, but seeing that she was outnumbered, she could only sigh in exasperation. Crossing her arms, she said, "Fine. If you crave for my company so much, then I'll come along with you."

Akali took a turn in scoffing, rolling her eyes. "As if there's someone out there that _actually_ wants you with them."

"Oh, you'd be surprised how much people _beg_ for my attention. Perhaps you're interested in joining that category?"

Making a face of disgust, Akali returned her attention to their two other companions. "Alright, what do we do now?"

"It's still in the middle of the day and soon, we have to find a place we can take shelter in. A decent one, if possible." Kai'Sa began, glancing at the three for some possible suggestions.

"With our state of appearances though, roaming will be difficult. Between the four of us, only you and Evelynn have invisibility. Akali's outfit isn't exactly fitting for this world, and need I say more?" Ahri gestured behind her, where her tails were calmly swaying. "My tails aren't really discreet either."

"Where do we go, then?" Akali asked, looking in between the two.

"Oh, by the Gods, you three are a moronic bunch, aren't you?" Evelynn abruptly cut in, sounding immensely exasperated with their back and forth discussion. "We literally just saw this _gumiho's_ counterpart in this universe. The location where we could seek haven in is right here."

Evelynn then gestured at the back door of the structure as if it wasn't seen by the other three. She turned around and approached it, her lasher making quick work of the camera. The piece of tech fell onto the floor the second one of her lashers cut it off from its place, the wires sparking for a few times upon its landing.

"Now, why don't we track down where the other Ahri lives before the sun goes down, hmm?" As Evelynn said this, her lasher broke the lock of the back door before yanking it open and ushering them to go in. "If any of you asks me, I prefer parting this group as soon as possible."

Knowing they had nowhere else they could go and that the only option they had was the one Evelynn was currently offering, the three were left with no choice but to enter the building. Evelynn smiled, quite pleased with herself as she trailed after them.

"What of the people we cross paths with?" Kai'Sa asked in a murmur as they ducked behind a generator when a small group of workers and security passed by, probably to check on what happened at the back of the building.

"Well, I can...-"

"You _can't_ kill them." Akali bluntly denied her possible suggestion, earning her a sweet, sweet smile from the demon.

"My, my, you just know what to say to test my patience." Evelynn quietly replied with a sarcastic smile. "And just so you know, that wasn't my suggestion. What I was meaning to say before you so rudely interrupted me is that I can charm them long enough for us to pass by undetected."

"But they'll see you." Ahri pointed out.

"Yes, but they'll brush it off as a mere daydream of some sort." Evelynn answered with a dismissive wave. "Now, while I distract the people, try looking for any sort of information that may lead us to Ahri's counterpart."

"And where exactly do you expect us to look?" Akali questioned, her attitude prompting Evelynn to smile sardonically before she turned the ninja's head to the door with the label _'Main Lobby'_ stuck to it.

"Here I thought Ionians like you would have more observation skills than a rock."

"You little...-!"

"Shh!" Ahri shushed before the two could start bickering again. "Let's not waste any more time."

Evelynn and Kai'Sa activated their invisibility, Ahri turned back to her feral form and Akali stuck in the shadows as they moved closer to their goal. Hate it or not, they had to work with one another if they wanted to return to Runeterra. Unfortunately for Akali, she needed to cooperate with this smug vixen that she wanted nothing more from.

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

The sound of noodles being slurped up echoed in the dining area as _Akali_ ate the brunch she was having, which was spicy ramyun. Keeping her company at the table were _Evelynn_ and _Kai'Sa_ , both eating what the latter had cooked for them.

"Darling, clean after yourself." _Evelynn_ said, taking a piece of tissue from the box beside her plate and wiping _Akali's_ chin.

" _Gomen ne_..." _Akali_ apologized through a mouthful of food, flashing a sheepish smile before it was covered with the tissue being wiped over her lips. Once she swallowed and thanked _Evelynn_ , she said, "Can't help it. This ramyun Bokkie made is delicious."

"Aww, thanks, Kali." _Kai'Sa_ thanked with a smile, looking proud and flattered. "What about you, Eve? How's the salad?"

"Oh, it's tremendous, Bokkie darling." _Evelynn_ genuinely complimented, taking nearly a forkful of the food after.

**_Slam!_ **

"I'm home~" Came _Ahri's_ sing-song voice. The FOXY model came in and settled on a vacant chair at the table, thanking _Akali_ when the latter poured her some iced tea in a glass.

"How was your meeting with the manager?" _Evelynn_ queried once she finished chewing her food.

"Fine, all is well." The blonde reassured, taking a sip from her drink before putting it down and sighing. "The paparazzi were downstairs. Again."

"What else is new?" The three chorused unintentionally, the dancer and the rapper giving each other a quick fist bump.

**_Click!_ **

All four of them spun around and turned their heads to the direction where the front door can be found. The panel was widely open, looking as if someone had just barged in and left it like that. The three looked at _Ahri_ , who raised her hands in front of her.

"Hey, I closed it."

"Did you lock it though?" _Evelynn_ asked, pushing her chair back and standing up to check.

"Uh, no. No, I didn't."

_Evelynn_ sighed and shook her head, heading to the open doorway. She peeked outside and found nobody, prompting her to close the door and officially lock it. There didn't seem to be anyone there that could've opened it in the first place, which left them to wonder what was responsible for the door opening initially.

The diva had literally just turned around to return to the table, when something dark suddenly materialized in thin air and rushed forward, wrapping around her neck and lifting her up and against the door.

"Evelynn!" Her band members cried out in horror, their eyes as wide as hers as a form slowly left its invisible state and unveiled itself to their very own eyes.

_Evelynn_ gasped and clutched at whatever it was wound around her neck, her legs kicking in the air. No matter how strongly she tried, she wasn't able to peel the constriction around her throat.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Came a vixen-like purr, which shockingly came from the white-haired individual choking the oxygen out of her.

"Let her go!"

**_Crash!_ **

_Evelynn_ fell down the floor with an audible thud, gasping for the air she was almost completely deprived of a moment ago. A form rushed towards her and helped her up, an assistance she was vastly thankful for.

"Are you alright?" It seemed to be their beloved dancer's voice.

_Evelynn_ coughed a couple of times and rubbed her neck, mostly leaning against Kai'Sa. "I'm fine, I'm fine..."

Raising her head, she was met with a brown-haired, purple-armored version of Kai'Sa. Eyes widening in shock, _Evelynn_ jumped back and ended up pressing herself against the door, freaked out with what her friend suddenly looks like.

"W-What...!? What're you wearing!?" She questioned, eyes rapidly scanning Kai'Sa's appearance. "And what's that behind you!?"

"Okay, calm down." Kai'Sa tried soothing the ruffled diva, who was now hastily looking around. "I know this looks...-"

"Get away from her!" _Akali_ suddenly pushed through, grabbing _Evelynn_ and hurriedly dragging her back to the dining area, where they ended up watching everything unfold before them.

At the living room, where the succubus was tackled to by none other than the ninja of their group, Evelynn and Akali can be found tussling with one another. While Evelynn seemed to be laughing and looked like she was enjoying the combat, Akali looked furious and absolutely frustrated as she launched kunais at the grinning demon.

Much to K/DA's additional shock, a literal nine-tailed fox dashed out of their kitchen and went in between the two, blasting them both away with wisp-like beams. Evelynn recovered cleanly thanks to her lashers, but Akali gracelessly crashed onto the sofa, flipping the furniture over in the process.

"She attacked me first." Evelynn immediately yet coolly defended herself, raising her hands at Ahri, who approached her with her Orb threateningly floating in front of her face.

"That's because you...!" Akali started, grabbing the flipped sofa's edge and pulling herself up and back to her feet. She huffed and pushed off the soft blanket that belonged to none other than _Kai'Sa_ , who was lounging at the living room before she started cooking for lunch. "You tried murdering that woman over there!"

"As much as I see Akali's intervention too violent, she has a point." Kai'Sa joined the conversation, stepping towards them as she gave Evelynn a look. "You said you'll charm them, that's it."

"I did say that, but I didn't _promise_ I wouldn't kill now, did I?"

.....

.....

.....

"Call the cops!"

The four League champions spun around and found _Ahri_ pushing the three others up the staircase, handing her phone to _Kai'Sa_ to do just what she said. All members of the pop group had horrified looks on their eyes, mainly caused by the whole chaotic scuffle the two were involved in.

"Cops?" Kai'Sa and Ahri asked in unison, both exchanging looks of confusion.

Evelynn rolled her eyes at the two. "It's a layman's term for authorities, dimwits."

Upon hearing such, Ahri immediately turned and ran towards the other group. She waved her hands in front of her, the orb she had in hand disappearing. "Wait, don't!"

"You can't stop us!" _Akali_ said, tugging on _Evelynn's_ arm and hoping to get them to one of their rooms, where they intend on hiding until the police arrives.

"Well?" Evelynn abruptly spoke up, capturing Kai'Sa and Akali's attention. She nodded towards the staircase and asked, "Are you two going to stay there and stare, or are you going to stop them from reporting us?"

Once they realized what was about to happen, Kai'Sa hastily ran towards the stairs, jumping onto the dining table and launching herself up in the air. She landed at the top of the stairway, blocking the four other women. Raising a hand to halt them, she said, "None of you will do such thing."

"Kai'Sa?" _Ahri_ peeped out, shaking the dancer's arm.

"I'm trying...!" _Kai'Sa_ said, the phone already against her ear.

Before the call could go through though, Akali suddenly swooped in and snatched the piece of technology from the choreographer's hands. Running over the railing of the stairs with perfect balance, Akali performed a flip and landed right beside Kai'Sa, smashing the phone onto the floor once her feet touched the ground.

"Hey!" _Ahri_ reacted, unable to do anything but look at her now broken cellphone.

"Alright, everyone, calm down, okay?" Ahri started as she approached the bottom of the stairs. "We're not going to hurt you!"

_Akali_ scoffed, pushing _Evelynn_ behind her as she looked towards Ahri. "Oh yeah? What about your friend over there?"

"She's not our friend." Akali grumbled, feeling not an ounce of regret in denying any affiliation with their demonic companion.

"Friend or not, she tried choking the life out of my girlfriend!" _Akali_ growled, shooting both hers and her lover's counterpart.

Apparently, the members of K/DA were still too spooked and skittish to be able to realize how the four weird-looking strangers shared so much physical similarities with them. The only one who'd probably find a hard time in comparing herself to her Runeterra lookalike was _Evelynn_ , whose counterpart is clearly a demonic temptress.

That didn't mean the League champions were as confused and clueless as them though.

Kai'Sa turned to look at Akali, gauging her possible reaction towards the snarled words of the rapper. Rather comically, Akali's eyes were wide and all the color had drained from her face for a moment before it suddenly became extremely red.

"W-W-What!?" Akali sputtered out, anger, confusion and embarrassment all mixed into one tone. "What in Ionia's name did you just say!?"

_Akali's_ eyebrows knitted together in befuddlement, not exactly sure why the ninja looked like her deepest and dirtiest secret was suddenly unveiled for all the world to see. She turned to _Evelynn_ for some form of assistance, but the diva shrugged her shoulders, wordlessly telling her that she didn't know what the other meant.

"Did you just say," Akali decided to continue when she received no answer. She approached the staircase, prompting _Akali_ to inch back a bit and press herself against _Evelynn_. "that _this_ woman right here is your _lover_?"

"You..." _Evelynn_ cautiously started, looking over their _maknae's_ shoulder as she slightly narrowed her eyes at the ninja. "...seem to have a hard time in believing what she said."

"That's because...-"

"And you look awfully familiar." The diva interrupted without meaning to, amber eyes switching between the four of them for a few times before refocusing back to Akali. "Who are you people?"

"Finally!" Ahri suddenly spoke up. "A chance for introductions."

"Listen." Kai'Sa began, recapturing the pop group's attention. "Our entrance here wasn't as... harmless as we initially intended, but maybe we can backtrack and start over again."

Evelynn hummed, rejoining the conversation as she strutted towards where Ahri was. "Alright, my bad. My hunger just got the best of me, that's all."

"Your hunger's going to be the death of all of us." Akali sneered, glaring at the siren.

"Oh, I wouldn't exactly say all of you." Evelynn then grinned, her demonic set of teeth causing the four popstars to widen their eyes at the sight of it. "You're the only one I'm considering on eating here, love."

"Over my dead body."

"Delightfully, but where's the fun in killing you so fast? Why don't I make you scream for a long while first?"

"Uhh," _Akali's_ cut in all of a sudden, pointing a finger at the two champions verbally clashing with one another. "are you two, like, a thing?"

"A thing?" The pair chorused in question.

"Are you two together?" _Kai'Sa_ offered for clarification, gesturing between he ninja and the demon. "Romantically speaking."

Evelynn might look entirely amused by the concept, Akali turned into a sputtering Ionian that had nothing to say but insults aimed at the former. While the two had a one-sided bickering session yet again, one that's mainly filled with Akali cussing and degrading the smirking siren, Kai'Sa and Ahri took this as an opportunity to calm down their startled lookalikes.

"You promise you won't hurt us?" _Ahri_ asked when the _gumiho_ offered her a hand to help her back down the stairs. " _Any_ of us?"

Ahri gave the most convincing smile she could present, keeping her hand still outstretched to be taken. "I promise."

" _We_ promise." Kai'Sa added as an additional verbal form of reassurance.

A few minutes later, the living room was back to its previous state. Although there were two lamps that suffered the little fight earlier, so now _Kai'Sa_ was sweeping up the mess, while the four Runeterra women were situated across the once-flipped sofa, where the three other members of K/DA were settled at.

_Ahri_ , might have her full attention on the odd group before them and so did _Kai'Sa_ after she finished cleaning, the same couldn't be said to the diva and the rapper of the group.

_Akali_ was still fretting over _Evelynn's_ state. She was holding an icepack behind her girlfriend's head, which had collided with the door when she was being choked. The latter smiled and tried reassuring the freestyler that she could take care of herself, caressing her cheek in the midst of it.

Across them, Akali looked on in horror and utter disbelief, while Evelynn hummed at such an innocent sight. Such love and innocence being displayed before her made her so hungry. _Akali_ looked so vulnerable and ripe for the taking. Unfortunately for her, she still had to wait until the whole issue was resolved.

"Okay, I guess the four of you can start with proper introductions." _Kai'Sa_ suggested as she settled beside _Ahri_. "And maybe tell us why the three of you look so much alike us?"

"Oh, don't forget about me, sweetie." Evelynn cooed, smirking. Beside her, Akali rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.

"Who _do_ you look like?" _Ahri_ queried, unable to completely place the face the demon possessed.

"Who else?" Evelynn turned to _Evelynn_ and grinned, winking.

_Akali_ , seemingly taken aback by the revelation, looked in between the two, hastily attempting to find precise similarities. _Evelynn_ though, she merely narrowed her eyes at the demon, her left arm silently wrapping around her girlfriend's waist. She did _not_ trust this demonic beauty around her beloved darling.

"I'll start." Ahri volunteered, shifting on her seat and clearing her throat. "I'm Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"We... can see that." _Ahri_ commented as they eyed the white tails all fluffed up behind the whiskered-face champion. "You're an _actual gumiho_?"

Ahri nodded. "Indeed I am."

"What about you?" _Kai'Sa_ piped in, turning the conversation's spotlight on her Runeterra counterpart.

"I am Kai'Sa. People call me the Daughter of the Void." Kai'Sa introduced, nodding her head at the others. "And please, don't be afraid of me or what's a part of me. I control them, therefore, they won't hurt you."

"They?" _Kai'Sa_ blinked, eyes darting to the parasite attached behind the markswoman's back. "They're alive?"

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"Ah. Right." _Kai'Sa_ laughed uneasily, not exactly knowing what to say in return.

"And you're me." _Akali_ just spoke up, eyeing her ninja lookalike.

"Yes, I'm you." Akali responded back with a sigh. "I'm Akali, previously known as the Fist of Shadow, now Rogue Assassin."

"You're an assassin?" There was wonder and a pinch of awe in the rapper's tone, which mildly sparked a tiny ounce of amusement in the ninja.

"I am. And before you ask, no, I do _not_ kill innocent people." Akali then gave her seatmate a look of detestation. "That's _her_ forte."

"Is that the problem in your relationship?"

"Relationship!?" Akali practically screeched in reply. "We do _not_ have anything between us!"

"Why not though? You two seem to have some chemistry."

"Darling, I don't think they're like us." _Evelynn_ murmured, giving _Akali's_ hip a firm squeeze.

"Well, while you dwell on your worthless thoughts, let me introduce myself." Evelynn began, smiling teasingly when the triggered ninja tried elbowing her, only for her lasher to intercept the strike. "I'm Evelynn. They call me many things. One of them being Widowmaker, but I prefer Agony's Embrace."

"I already have an idea in what you do, and I haven't even asked you anything yet." _Evelynn_ murmured, suspiciously eyeing her counterpart, who smirked back at her.

"Of course you'd know. After all, I'm you."

"Where did you four come from?" _Ahri_ finally asked the question she and her bandmates have been wondering about ever since the conversation started.

"A world called _Runeterra_." Kai'Sa answered, meeting the gaze of the blonde. "We are champions and considered participants in the _League of Legends_."

"League of Legends?" The group of K/DA asked in response.

"It's something the Institute of War created to rid our world of bloodshed." Ahri explained. "Affairs and nation disputes are settled through sanctioned battles that always result in no such absolute death outside the Rift."

"I have a feeling we're going to spend the rest of the day asking you questions about your world." _Kai'Sa_ brought up with a little sheepish smile. "I mean, you can't expect us to just understand everything that you're saying."

"We don't even know what we've gotten ourselves into." _Ahri_ also mentioned, mostly vocalizing the thoughts. "It's actually hard to believe that we're even keeping ourselves calm right now. Is this a dream?"

"As much as I want this to be a dream," Akali muttered, avoiding the sight of Evelynn's irritating smirk. "it's not. Right now, we're hoping that with you four knowing that we're you in a different universe, you won't turn us away now."

"Turn you away?" _Evelynn_ asked in mild confusion.

Akali nodded. "We don't exactly have a place to seek shelter in. Not in this world, at least."

Kai'Sa also nodded in agreement. "If it's not much of a bother, we wish to stay here in your abode until we find a way to return to our world."

"We give you our word that we will not bring you any sort of harm." Ahri added, hoping their reassurances would be enough to convince the other group.

"I suppose it's not you three we're mainly worried about." _Evelynn_ stated, her gaze trailing towards the demonic siren. "It's _her_."

Almost immediately, Ahri, Kai'Sa and Akali's heads snapped towards Evelynn, all three of them giving her different looks. They all meant one thing though. They wanted her to _behave_ , or else she'll suffer consequences they themselves will bring upon her.

Outnumbered yet again.

Evelynn gave a dramatic sigh. "Clearly, I have no choice in this predicament."

"No, you most definitely don't." Akali decided to emphasize, smiling sarcastically at the sardonic curve that Evelynn allowed to shape her lips.

"Once again, the majority wins." Evelynn leaned back and crossed her arms and legs, rolling her eyes at how she was backing down from the threat of the trio. "Much to my displeasure, I will _not_ be hurting any of you."

"Promise?" _Ahri_ and _Kai'Sa_ prompted together.

Again, Evelynn sighed. "Yes, yes, I promise. But, I cannot guarantee the same when it comes to this little nuisance right here."

Little nuisance, also known as Akali, glared daggers at the succubus. "Just try me, demon. I'll cut you into pieces if you do."

"Oh, you will?" Evelynn leaned close to Akali, grinning excitedly. "I'd like to see you try, honey."

"Don't tempt me."

"Temptation would probably be my middle name if I ever had one."

Across them, _Akali_ and _Evelynn_ watched them as they murmured among themselves. With the display the ninja and demon was presenting, both of their counterparts seemed to share the same thought.

"I guess they _do_ have a form of chemistry between them." _Evelynn_ murmured lowly, causing _Akali_ to nod.

"See? Told you."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

_Few Days Later..._

The K/DA household was surprisingly quieter than the pop group expected. It's been three days ever since they agreed letting their Runeterra lookalikes temporarily reside in their penthouse. They thought about refusing their request, but there were two reasons why they didn't.

One, they're them from an _alternate_ universe. How could they bring themselves to turn away, well, themselves?

Two, one of them is a dangerous _demon_ , one was an experienced assassin, one had a parasite attached to herself and can probably pulverize them if she wanted to and lastly, one was a real-life _gumiho_.

Need they say more?

While _Kai'Sa_ and _Ahri_ shared the blonde's bedroom for safety purposes, _Akali_ and _Evelynn_ slept together in the diva's quarters. The latter had become immensely protective over her friends and most certainly with her darling ever since the other group's arrival.

Although Evelynn hadn't made a single attempt in hurting them, _Evelynn_ was still more guarded than others. She always made sure _Akali_ was safe before she went anywhere in the penthouse.

There were always exceptions that prompted her to leave her girlfriend all by herself. Like right now, she had just draped her black robe over her the lingerie set she was wearing before she left her bedroom and made her way downstairs to get a glass of water.

What she didn't expect was to hear a thud, a hiss of pain and a mischievous titter from the dimly-lit lower floor of their penthouse. _Evelynn_ carefully stepped down the staircase, spotting Akali near the entrance of the kitchen. She seemed to be picking up shards of glass from the floor, tossing them in the nearby trash bin while she cussed at the demon in the household.

"You did this on purpose!" Akali snarled angrily, glancing around in the shadows.

"Guilty~" Came the siren's sing-song reply, chuckling huskily before _Evelynn_ felt a whoosh of air past her.

Once she spied the demon materialize right by one of the windows, slit-like eyes now focused on the breathtaking view of the city their home offered, the diva proceeded towards the kitchen.

Akali had moved inside and was now settled on one of the stools at the kitchen island, her right hand mildly bleeding on the counter as she removed the embedded shards of glass one by one.

Without much thought, _Evelynn_ opened one of the cabinets and withdrew the first-aid kit they kept there in the kitchen. Akali had stopped her movements, brown eyes watching the magenta-haired woman, who approached her and occupied the stool right beside her.

Taking out some tweezers, _Evelynn_ held Akali by her forehand and started delicately removing the shards. The Ionian ninja eyed the vocalist with a combined look of confusion and curiosity, but she didn't reject the unexpected assistance. That doesn't mean she won't question it though.

"What're you doing?" Akali asked, tone as guarded as she is whenever it came to the demon responsible for her hand injury.

"Helping you." _Evelynn_ simply replied, glancing up at her before returning her gaze to her palm.

"Why?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I'm not the Akali you know." The Ionian pointed out, confused with the sincere care the siren's counterpart was showing.

"I know," _Evelynn_ coolly replied, continuing her task of first-aid. "but that doesn't mean I don't see _my_ Akali in you."

Akali's eyebrows furrowed, but she kept quiet. She didn't know what to say in reply to that, so she was left to just quietly observe the gentle treatment she was receiving.

"She's fond of getting into fights." _Evelynn_ started all of a sudden. "Rogue sometimes come home with a cut lip, a sprained wrist or a black eye. It's never a pleasing sight."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because right now, when I saw you with this bleeding hand of yours, I instantly remembered the times I had to do _this_ to her." _Evelynn_ smiled, looking fond of the memories she was recalling. "That's how she and I grew close."

"What do you mean?" Akali might not admit it outloud, but ever since they learned that _Akali_ and _Evelynn_ are a couple in this universe, she's been plagued with so many questions why her counterpart fell in love with the demon's own.

"When Akali joined the group, she initially thought I was selfish and, well, a diva. Truthfully speaking, I _was_ a diva." _Evelynn_ chuckled, lightly shaking her head. "Still am, but not entirely. I grew comfortable with all of them. We spent a lot of time together, and it made me realize one thing."

"And what's that?"

_Evelynn_ raised her head as she finished removing the final glass shard stabbed into Akali's skin. "That I'm always the one taking care of Akali."

"Can't my counterpart take care of herself here?"

"Of course she can, but she has her moments."

"Moments?"

"Like what I told you."

"The fights?"

"Mm-hm." _Evelynn_ hummed, nodding. "Maintaining her public image, making sure she doesn't get hurt during concerts, eats enough food when we're out on tour...-"

"Why did you even take care of her in the first place?" Akali couldn't help but ask, looking straight into those amber hues that were admittedly incredible.

_Evelynn_ chuckled, shrugging as she said, "I honestly don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No, I truly don't." The woman shook her head, smiling to herself as she proceeded to disinfect Akali's little wounds. "But I _am_ fairly certain about one thing."

"And what's that?"

"I'm glad I took care of her," _Evelynn_ lifted her gaze again and offered a delicate smile. "because it's how we fell in love with one another."

Akali's face became ten red shades darker upon hearing such an outright confession. It was so hard to imagine that this caring and loving woman is the counterpart of the sadistic and death-bringing demon that's been vexing her for the past few days.

Indeed there's a reason why she's called Evelynn's _alternate_ version.

Couple of minutes later, _Evelynn_ finally finished and had cleanly wrapped Akali's hand with bandages. Her wounds were cleaned and neatly taken care of by none other than the amber-eyed artist before her.

"Uhh, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Akali was unable to react, verbally and physically, with what came next. _Evelynn_ stood up, clasped a hand at the back of her head and brought her close, only to plant a kiss on her forehead. The ninja remained frozen on her stool even when the the diva turned away and took the glass of water she initially intended on getting for herself.

"Good night, darling." _Evelynn_ bid with that charming smile of hers, giving Akali a brief yet tender caress on the cheek before leaving her in the kitchen.

Seconds ticked pass...

Face completely red and heart thundering in her chest, Akali slapped her uninjured hand over her face over and over again as she shook her head and tried ridding herself with the butterflies in her stomach.

No wonder her counterpart fell in love.

.....

.....

.....

During the short time _Evelynn_ was gone from the bedroom, the demonic version of herself snuck upstairs, too quiet to awaken Kai'Sa and Ahri sleeping at the living room. She made sure to confirm that her diva counterpart was busy tending to Akali before she made her way to the woman's quarters.

With perfect stealth, Evelynn slipped into the room and approached the bed where the freestyler of K/DA can be found slumbering peacefully. She tilted her head as she observed the serene face before her, her claws grazing over the blanket as she carefully reeled it down. 

"Eve...?" Slightly roused out of her sleep, _Akali_ lifted her head and tried looking through half-lidded eyes. In the dark room illuminated only by the city lights outside, she found herself staring at a mildly blurry image of the demon, who morphed into the same physical form of the diva.

"Hello, love." Evelynn murmured back, smiling sweetly as _Akali_ reached forward and lazily caressed her cheek. She turned her head, taking hold of _Akali's_ hand and placing a kiss on her wrist. Her lips landing right on top of the rapper's pulse, her tongue licking at her lips afterwards.

Such trust and vulnerability, oh, this was what Evelynn _craved_ from her victims.

"Come back to bed." _Akali_ murmured, hand interlocking with the demon's, while she closed her eyes again. "I wanna snuggle."

"I can think of something else to do that's more worthwhile, honey." Evelynn grinned as she licked at _Akali's_ wrist, nipping at her pulse with her lips. "Perhaps you're interested?"

_Akali_ reopened her eyes, still half-lidded as she stared back at the woman for a moment of confusion. When she spied through the shadows the two lashers floating behind the siren though, her eyes widened and she immediately yanked her wrist away from the loose hold. She scooted back, prompting Evelynn in leaving her perch on the side of bed and decide on standing back up again.

"You're not Evelynn." _Akali_ said, keeping the wrist that had been licked against her chest. "You're... You're the demon."

"Yet I'm _still_ Evelynn." The sly enchantress replied with a little titter, reverting her hands back to its demonic state. She still kept most of herself in her human disguise, merely showing off her claws to rattle the rapper more.

"You're not supposed to be here." _Akali_ said, glancing at the ajar door and hoping someone else would come in. Hopefully, that someone's a part of K/DA and not their group of guests.

"Do I look like I'm the type to obey the rules?" Evelynn asked with a smirk. "I break rules, sweetie. I break them like how I break my victims."

_Akali_ couldn't help but gulp at that. "Is that why you're here?"

"Hmm?"

"Is that why you're here?" She repeated, shifting on the bed. "You're here to kill me?"

Evelynn stared at _Akali_ , contemplating as she audited the latter's tense form. She can sense the fear dwelling within the rapper, despite the fact that _Akali_ was doing an impressive job in keeping her brave façade up.

"...No, of course not." Evelynn answered after a moment of silence between them. Her smirk returned to her lips, not at all parting with her usual attitude. "You _pique_ my interest."

"You're _interested_ in me?"

"In a sense."

"Why?"

Evelynn laid back, her lashers forming a makeshift chair for her to settle on. She crossed her legs, gesturing with her right hand as she said, "It's quite hard to believe that my counterpart is as soft and delicate as she seems to be."

"What's so bad about it? She's much better than she ever was."

"Aha, exactly." Evelynn said, finger punctuating the air for emphasis. "She wasn't like _this_ before. Now, tell me, what changed her?"

"What?"

"What _prompted_ her to change?" Evelynn asked, having to stop herself from rolling her eyes towards _Akali's_ questions.

_Akali_ wanted to pretend to be entirely clueless, but she knew this demon's patience was far different from _Evelynn_. Or maybe it wasn't? She didn't really want to take a risk on this one.

"She... used to act selfish."

"Ah, yes, that's a favorite trait of mine."

"But it was, well, just an act."

" _Just_ an act?" Evelynn quirked an eyebrow, head tilting to the side.

"At least in my eyes." _Akali_ muttered, holding her girlfriend's pillow against her chest. "She wasn't as social as she is now before. She kept to herself. Did things for no one but herself."

"And what changed?"

"She... started taking care of me." When she dared to look directly at the succubus, what she merely saw was a perfect eyebrow being raised at her. She found it awfully weird that the siren was imitating her lover's physical appearance. Minus the purple-skinned forearms and claws of course.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I don't really know how to explain it."

"What?" There was irritation behind the single-word question, which caused the rapper to think up an immediate response.

"All I know is that I _thought_ Evelynn only looked out for herself and didn't care about anyone." _Akali_ averted her gaze, cheeks slightly reddening as she murmured. "At least until I came home late at night with a bleeding lip and a sprained wrist."

When she returned her gaze back to the demon to survey her reaction, all she saw was an intense stare fixated on no one but her. Evelynn seemed to be mulling over her words.

"Then you were weak and vulnerable at the time." Evelynn simply concluded.

"Hey, I'm _not_ weak."

"Weak and vulnerable," Evelynn continued, clearly disregarding the contradiction. " yet she chose to provide care?"

"What about it?"

Evelynn scoffed and shook her head, looking disappointed with her counterpart. "I suppose it makes sense. After all, _she_ has a heart."

"And you don't?" _Akali_ asked back, body tensing completely yet again when Evelynn smirked back in return.

"I don't." Was her whisper-like reply. "If I were in her position in that moment, I probably would have brought you down to your knees. Make you scream and beg for mercy as I slowly, oh so slowly, devour you."

.....

.....

.....

"...Okay, that can be completely taken out of context." _Akali_ answered back, not certain if she was going to laugh or be afraid that she might've irked the succubus with her response.

Evelynn's smirk turned into an eager grin, leaning forward as she asked, "Is that lust I smell?"

"Wait, what? I didn't mean...-"

"Even if it is, it's not exactly your business." Came the voice of the diva now standing at the doorway, amber eyes glaring at the demonic creature. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing really." Evelynn nonchalantly replied, standing back up and strutting towards her lookalike. She placed a hand over the other's shoulder, her smirk returning when she felt the woman tense under her touch. "I was merely having a little talk with your charming, little lover."

_Evelynn_ wanted so badly to grab the siren by the neck as a warning, but with those lashers hovering behind her, ready to strike, she knew she had no chances in winning an actual battle. But, she did settle on maintaining her glare and fearless face, which clearly excited the demon.

"If you ever dare hurt her...-"

"You'll what, hmm?" Evelynn leaned in and whispered in the diva's ear. "It's not nice having a weakness, isn't it? You became weak the moment you decided to embrace that heart of yours."

_Evelynn_ narrowed her eyes, looking at the other practically pressed against her side through the corner of her eyes. "It's much better to have a heart."

"Oh? Please," Evelynn raised her claws in front of her, making sure her counterpart got a good look at how sharp they are. "do enlighten me. What can a heart give you that lust can't?"

"Warmth." Was _Evelynn's_ firm response, certainty in her amber gaze. "Something I'm sure you're a stranger to."

Although they both maintained unnerved stares, the succubus was the first to retreat. She scoffed to herself as she turned away, her form gradually reverting back to her true satanic appearance. She flicked a few strands of white away from her face as she exited the bedroom, murmuring under her breath.

"Mortals and their worthless hunger for love."

_Evelynn_ watched the demon make her exit, only closing the door once the latter was out of sight. She locked the room once the knob clicked close, making her way to the bed after to check on her significant other.

"Darling, are you alright?" She asked as she slipped under the blanket and rejoined her in bed, tone sounding deeply concerned. "Did she do anything to you? Did she hurt you?"

"Eve, I'm fine, don't worry." _Akali_ reassured, smiling at the vocalist. She scooted close and gave the woman a quick kiss on the lips. "She didn't do anything to me."

"Are you sure?"

"Other than disturb my sleep, yeah, I'm totally fine."

_Evelynn_ sighed, thankful her lover was unharmed from the demon's unexpected visit. She glanced at the locked door before shaking her head, ushering _Akali_ to return to her dreams.

"Go back to sleep, darling." She said as they both laid back down, her arms enveloping the freestyler and giving precisely what the rapper wanted from the very beginning.

"Make sure to get some sleep, too." _Akali_ said before snuggling close to her lover. "I'm sure she's not coming back."

"Only if she knows what's good for her."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

When the following day came, _Kai'Sa_ was faced with a huge problem. With their Runeterra lookalikes currently staying with them, all of them had an unspoken agreement that no one outside the household could know about the group's existence. Much to her misfortune, she had completely forgotten to cancel her girlfriend's plans in visiting her today.

_Sivir_ had just returned from her week-long vacation with her father, Azir, and was quite eager to drop by at the penthouse to see the dancer. _Kai'Sa_ wasn't sure how she'd intercept _Sivir_. She couldn't leave the penthouse since _Ahri_ assigned her to be their guests' watch for this morning. She tried calling, but it looks like the pizza delivery girl's phone was turned off.

So now, _Kai'Sa_ can be found idling at the dining area with a cup of hot coffee as her morning drink. She was watching hers and _Ahri's_ counterparts, both seemingly fascinated with the flat-screen TV. It was probably because of the show being presented onscreen. It was a replay of one of the episodes of _'Legends of the Lunar Dynasty'_ , and both of them was so engrossed with how General Gareth and Viridian led their Emperor's army through one of the greatest battles in TV history.

While Evelynn was occupied with the tablet she had in hand, which she used to surf through the internet after being taught by the dancer herself, Akali can be seen still slumbering one of the couches and underneath a warm blanket. The Ionian had stayed up all night, not at all trusting that the demon had no ill intentions towards her during the evening.

_'Okay, so far, so good.'_ _Kai'Sa_ thought, feeling slightly less nervous as she watched the four champions keep to themselves peacefully.

"Hey, Bokkie, where'd you keep the ramyuns?" Came _Akali's_ voice in the kitchen.

_Kai'Sa_ sighed and replied back with, "I hid it!"

"What? Why?"

"Ahri said you're eating too much instant noodles."

"But, Bokkie!"

The choreographer thought about explaining further reasons why the rapper's precious ramyuns were missing, but she figured getting it all over with will keep her friend off her back for today. She sighed again and got up, climbing up the stairs as she called back out to her bandmate.

"I'll go get you once, but don't tell Ahri I gave it to you!"

"I'll boil the water!" _Akali_ replied in return, sounding quite happy and a tad bit eager.

Hastily, _Kai'Sa_ went to their leader's bedroom to steal one of the packs of ramyun in her closet, confident that she won't get caught since _Ahri_ and _Evelynn_ were at their exercise room doing their morning workout.

While K/DA's lead dancer was upstairs though, three consecutive knocks came from the front door, indicating that they had a new visitor. From the kitchen, _Akali_ heard the knocking and called out to no one in particular, not exactly expecting that Kai'Sa had gone upstairs and that the only people outside the kitchen were their lookalikes.

"Can somebody get the door?" _Akali_ requested, busy taking out their electric kettle from the cabinet. "There's someone knocking!"

Evelynn's lasher nudged Kai'Sa on the shoulder and when the latter turned around and wordlessly queried what was it the former needed, the demon merely nodded her head to the direction of the door, eyes still focused on the screen of the gadget she had in hand.

"What?" Kai'Sa asked, too distracted by the show to catch the sound of knocking.

"Either you answer the door or I do." Evelynn said, focus mostly still on the tablet. "And we all know I'm craving for _someone_ to feed on."

Kai'Sa sighed quietly to herself, pushing herself off the carpet and crossing the room to see who it was that's requesting entry. The lock clicked audibly as she twisted it, turning the knob and opening the door after.

The first thing that greeted her was brown hair tied up in a ponytail, fairly tanned skin, a wide smile and a pair of striking blue eyes filled with excitement. Her own amethyst eyes literally glowed as she took in the sight of their unexpected visitor, gaze scanning the woman before her.

_Sivir_ , who was the one that was standing right in front of the Daughter of the Void, looked on in absolute surprise, her smile fading and her eagerness replaced with utter shock. She nearly dropped the duffel bag she was holding, especially when she saw not only Kai'Sa's eyes glow, but also the lines around her lower torso.

"...K-Kai'Sa?" She asked with obvious uncertainty, unable to find the words to describe the champion in front of her.

"How do you know my name?" Kai'Sa questioned in a firm tone, the parasite attached to her back reacting and glowing with Void energy.

_Sivir_ took half a step back as a precaution, raising a hand in front of her. "What... What're you wearing? What happened to your hair? And why are your eyes glowing? Why are _you_ glowing?"

Instead of answering any of the questions that were spoken, Kai'Sa came to a realization. One that involved the initial reason why _Sivir_ knew her name and why she was there in the first place.

"My apologies." She abruptly apologized, her tone not exactly sounding apologetic. "You must be looking for the Kai'Sa of this world."

"The Kai'Sa of what world?" _Sivir_ asked back, only able to blink at her in return.

"This world. Your world." Kai'Sa stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. "The Kai'Sa you are seeking for is upstairs. I'm quite sure she'll return shortly."

"Uhhh, okay...?"

Dismissing the thought of danger, _Sivir_ decided to enter the penthouse. She smiled uneasily at the neutral-faced lookalike of her girlfriend, not knowing if she was back in the airplane dreaming or not.

Once Kai'Sa closed the door, she intended on returning to her place at the living room to continue entertaining herself with the heated battle currently being shown through the television. Instead of doing such though, she stopped and turned back to face _Sivir_ , who became as still as a statue the second she redirected her focus back to her.

"You."

"Me?"

"I can't help but find your face familiar." Kai'Sa spoke her thoughts out loud, her eyes glowing briefly again as she inspected the other female once again. "You resemble one of the champions I've fought."

"Oh, uh, I'm sure I wouldn't even be caught fighting someone like you."

"Are you implying that I am much _beneath_ you to be considered a worthy opponent?"

"What!? No, no! Not at all!" _Sivir_ immediately clarified, shaking her head. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't even _dare_ fight you. Not with those... _things_ on your back."

"Do you have something to say against it?"

"No, no, I...-"

The delivery girl didn't get to finish. Kai'Sa took a step towards her, causing her to become tense again and freeze on the spot. She can hear heart thudding in her chest as the Void woman stood directly in front of her, eyes narrowing as she scrutinized her.

"What is your relationship with Kai'Sa?"

_Sivir_ blinked. "What's my relationship with... _you_?"

"No, not me." Kai'Sa said with a single shake of her head. "The Kai'Sa of this world. What are your relations with her?"

"Oh, uh, she's, well..." _Sivir_ cleared her throat and tried standing as straight as she could to not appear too cowardly. "She's my girlfriend."

In an instant, confusion invaded those glowing violet orbs. "Girlfriend? Do you mean lover?"

"Yeah, that's technically the same, but uh, yeah, yeah, she's my lover."

"You two are together?"

"I... guess you can say that."

For what felt like the umpteenth time, Kai'Sa scrutinized the pizza girl with her piercing gaze. "Do you two... embrace one another? Like how lovers do?"

"Well, uh, yeah."

"What about kiss?"

"We do that, too."

"I see." Kai'Sa contemplated for a moment before asking with an entirely straight face, "Do you two engage in any acts of fornication?"

_Sivir's_ face went from tense to flustered in a single moment. Her cheeks reddened massively and her words refused to leave her, mind conjuring not a single reasonable response to the blatant query.

"Sivir!" _Kai'Sa_ abruptly called out, eyes wide when she saw her Runeterra self conversing with her girlfriend. She rushed towards them, pulling the woman away from her counterpart, who merely looked on with mild curiosity.

" _Habibti!_ " Sivir managed to successfully react, immensely relieved that a much familiar face has come to her rescue.

"Did she hurt you?" _Kai'Sa_ immediately asked, hastily giving the brown-haired female a scan with her eyes.

"No, she didn't. She didn't."

"Are you sure, _liefie_?"

_Sivir_ offered a small but reassuring smile and a nod. "She didn't do anything, _habibti_. Don't worry."

Convinced that nothing drastically wrong had happened, _Kai'Sa_ nodded before turning to look back at her lookalike, who was still patiently waiting for her question to be answered. She gestured at the direction of the living room before she dismissed her.

"Why don't you go back there and let me handle _my_ girlfriend?" She kept her tone as light as possible, not wanting to be rude or to offend her counterpart.

Thankfully, Kai'Sa nodded and excused herself by turning around and taking her leave. She went back to the living area, settling back on the carpet and right beside Ahri before letting herself be engrossed in the TV series.

" _Habibti_ ," _Sivir_ began, glancing every now and then at the direction of the living room as _Kai'Sa_ led her towards the dining table. "who is she? Who are _they_? And why is there exactly one of each of you?"

_Kai'Sa_ gave a stressed sigh as they both sat at the table, keeping one hand holding _Sivir's_. "It's a really long and crazy story. I don't even know if you're going to believe me if I tell you."

"Honestly? Right now, I'll take any story you tell me, cuz I literally just saw some sort of evil twin of yours that looked more like she came from one of those fantasy, monster movies you see on TV."

"I didn't want you to find out about this, _liefie_." _Kai'Sa_ said, not knowing how she could make the story as sensible and believable as she could. "It's _really_ complicated."

"It's more than complicated from the looks of it."

"Exactly!"

"Then tell me everything." _Sivir_ said, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm all ears right now."

Seeing that she was left with no choice but to tell her girlfriend _everything_ that had happened for the past couple of days, _Kai'Sa_ shifted on her seat and said, "Alright, but you have to promise to keep this a secret. We don't really want anyone to spread this whole ordeal and bring the national government to our doorstep."

_Sivir_ nodded. "I promise."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

_Later that night..._

Kai'Sa and Ahri were already cleaning up at the living room, trying to make the area as pristine as they could before they take their leave. At one side of the room, Evelynn be seen settled on her lashers once again, yawning as she boredly waited for the two to finish.

They thought about informing K/DA about their departure, but they figured they could just peacefully make their way out and officially relieve the pop group of their presence. Their act of cleaning was their own way of repaying their alternates for the hospitality they showed them.

Akali had volunteered to bring the unused nightwears their counterparts lent them for the evening. After she dropped it off in one of the empty bedrooms, which was actually _Kai'Sa's_ , she was supposed to go straight back downstairs to lend some assistance in cleaning.

Instead of doing the initial, the Ionian ninja decided to stand directly in front of the door of the diva's bedroom. She tried twisting the knob to take a peek inside, but she was met with resistance.

It looks like the door was locked.

Her form slackened, a wave of disappointment washing over her as she slowly released the door handle. She sighed as she brought her bandaged hand up, brown eyes staring absently as she recalled the memory she made with _Evelynn_ before the woman had retreated in her quarters with the rapper for the night.

The diva made sure to check on her hand and change her bandages, even though she gave out protests. _Evelynn_ was quite persuasive and determined in treating her herself. It was... an admittedly nice experience.

Now, she was standing outside the vocalist's room, looking like a complete idiot. Despite only interacting with the Agony's Embrace only a handful of times, she became used to the fact that the demon was cruel, selfish and was death disguised as a bewitching demon.

There was this strong urge within her, telling her that she would regret it if she didn't get to say goodbye to _Evelynn_. Or at least see her one last time before they go back to Valoran Museum and, if their theory proves to be correct, leave this universe for good. Who knew remaining rooted to where she stood for a few seconds would pay off though?

**_Click!_ **

Akali became entirely still when the door swung open, revealing _Evelynn_ , who was merely clad in a rather provocative dark magenta nightgown that barely passed her thighs. The neckline was quite low, too, which provided the Ionian a generous eyeful. Face massively reddening, Akali hastily turned her head away in hopes of hiding her bright red cheeks from the surprised woman before her.

"You're still awake?"

"We're leaving."

Eyebrows raising, _Evelynn_ asked, "Now? In such a late hour?"

"That's all." Akali dismissively said, turning and intending on marching off. She was being a coward and she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why. It's as if there was this huge pressure behind this conversation she got herself into.

Before she could leave though, a hand grabbed her elbow, prompting her to turn back and face _Evelynn_ again, who eyed her curiously. When her gaze drifted low and wandered to the revealing evening attire, Akali snapped her eyes away, head jerking to the side.

"What were you doing out here?"

"It's nothing. I merely wanted to check if any of you are awake and...-"

"Did you want to speak with me?" _Evelynn_ leaned on the doorway, hand gently pulling the ninja back until the latter was standing directly in front of her again. "Your expression says it all."

"My expression?"

"Mm-hm. You clearly have something in mind."

Akali sighed and decided to fully face _Evelynn_ , their gazes meeting. "I wanted to say thanks, alright?"

"For what?"

"For everything." She returned without missing a beat. "For letting us stay here. For taking care of me...-us! For taking care of _us_."

_Evelynn_ smiled, hand releasing Akali's arm. She reached for one of the Ionian's hands, specifically her bandaged one, and brought it up to her lips, giving it a light squeeze after planting a kiss on her knuckles. "You're very welcome, darling."

"...Remember when I couldn't accept the fact that my alternate self is in love with you?"

_Evelynn_ nodded, releasing her hand as she leaned on the doorway.

"I... think I've come to terms with it."

"Oh?"

"I can see why she loves you." Akali shifted awkwardly from her place, hands rubbing over her own hips as she tried finding something to occupy them with. "You're... nice. And, well, good. To her, I mean."

"It's a wonder how my counterpart has yet to fall for _you_." Was _Evelynn's_ abrupt statement. One that caused Akali to widen her eyes, looking absolutely taken aback.

"As if I want her to in the first place!"

"Then what _do_ you want?" _Evelynn_ queried, eyes narrowing with lighthearted suspicion as she spoke with a smile. "Or maybe the more accurate question is _who_ do you want?"

"What?" Akali stared back at _Evelynn_ , now seemingly in shock with the implication towards her.

"I'm sorry, rogue, but I'm spoken for." _Evelynn_ responded in a teasing tone, tittering softly.

"What? That's not what I..." Akali growled at herself, annoyed at how she was becoming a complete mess to the jesting beauty. Sighing and shaking her head, she muttered, "It was probably a mistake that I even came up here."

_Evelynn_ chuckled, taking Akali by surprise yet again when she leaned forward and placed a kiss on the ninja's cheek. The act of affection rendered the latter entirely frozen, clearly shocked to the very core.

"Take care of yourself, Akali."

Last thing the Ionian felt was a soft pair of lips on her cheek and the last thing she saw was a fond smile and a wink before _Evelynn_ stepped back and closed the door, wordlessly ending their conversation.

It wasn't surprising that Kai'Sa had to come upstairs and retrieve Akali, only leaving the penthouse when all four of them were finally downstairs. The second the front door clicked close behind them and its automatic lock eventually activated itself, the four League champions had officially left the lives of K/DA.

.....

.....

.....

_Evelynn_ leaned on her bedroom door, smiling at the rapper that had awakened from her sleep and was now staring across the room and at her with a suspicious look of her own. With her ponytail missing and her hair sticking all over the place, _Akali_ was nothing but an adorable sight for _Evelynn_ to adore and admire.

"Were you flirting with the ninja version of myself?" _Akali_ questioned, suppressing the yawn that nearly overtook her.

Smiling, _Evelynn_ said, "She's quite a charmer."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you come over here and let me show you how a real charmer acts like, huh?"

"Are you seriously jealous of _yourself_?" _Evelynn_ asked in amusement, approaching the bed and rejoining her girlfriend under the sheets again. She was just about to initiate a kiss when _Akali_ took hold of her cheeks and asked one particular question.

"How would you feel if I flirted with _your_ demon lookalike?"

"...Touché."

"Heh, thought so."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The security personnel in the museum, mainly the ones the champions had crossed paths with on their way inside, ended up suffering the same fate as the guards at the Institute when Kai'Sa and Evelynn had snuck in the prohibited summoning chamber.

Behind the police line surrounding one of the exhibits in the currently closed Valoran Museum, one of the so called ancient displays on a stage-like pedestal began to house an orb-shaped center before such expanded until it was big enough for an actual person to come through.

Kai'Sa pulled her hand back, satisfied with the current swirl of colors the portal presented. She turned around to check on her companions, finding Evelynn and Ahri half-curiously inspecting the exhibit displays around them, while Akali seemed to be deep in thought.

"Are you done?" Evelynn, who was the first notice Kai'Sa's gaze, asked, now looking more eager than ever. "Can I finally take my leave now without worrying over you pulverizing me?"

"You're not going anywhere." Akali abruptly said, turning to Evelynn with a resolute look. "You're coming back with us."

Evelynn now looked offended. "And why should I?"

"Because you don't belong here in this dimension!" Akali snarled, stepping towards Evelynn and going toe-to-toe with the demon yet again. "And I won't give you the chance to ruin innocent lives and what the people have here."

"Oh, you mean the relationship our counterparts have with one another?" Evelynn laughed mockingly. "That's just _pathetic_."

"Pathetic? What's so pathetic about it?"

"Love." Was the distasteful answer of the Agony's Embrace. "It's worthless and foolish. It's nothing but a weakness."

"Keep telling yourself that." Akali muttered, nodding to the now opened portal. "You can either go through voluntarily, or l force you in."

Evelynn smirked. "You know I like it rough."

No more words left the rogue. Drawing her weapons out in a heartbeat, she gave a growl-like shout before she started attacking the succubus, who jumped back and smoothly weaved around the Ionian as if they were merely playing a harmless game.

All of the assassin's movements may seem clumsy, but each and every swing was intentional. It was a detail the siren seemed to have missed as she continued dodging and deflecting the raven-haired champion's attacks with her lashers.

Ahri and Kai'Sa caught wind of what Akali was trying to do, so after the two exchanged looks and came to an unspoken agreement, they both decided to not intervene this time. Once the Daughter of the Void slipped into the portal, the gumiho trailed closely behind her, which left Akali to finally take the final step of her plan.

The moment Evelynn landed right in front of the portal, Akali immediately dashed forward. Instead of stabbing the demon though, she managed to succeed with her tackle, the force of her movement throwing them both into the opening. The horrified scream of Evelynn upon realization of her amateur mistake echoed in the museum before the portal fully closed with a flash of white.

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

The Detention Center of the Institute of War was no joke, for it was the location where they placed the champions that disobey the rules, especially if they committed a punishable act within the Institute grounds.

While Kai'Sa and Ahri merely suffered a significant warning from the High Council, which resulted in the both of them being banned from participating in any League matches for a week, Akali was fortunate enough to just get the former. She was still eligible in fighting in the Fields of Justice, so she was quite relieved.

None of those could be said for Evelynn. The succubus was currently in one of the _'detention rooms'_. The walls were embedded with a special element that absorbed the magic of whatever or whoever it was inside, but only enough to deplete an individual's fill of mana.

The Agony's Embrace initially clawed at the walls like how a demon like herself would do out of unfiltered lividity, but her tantrum only resulted in her being an exhausted bundle of anger.

Although she was still able to shift her physical appearance and morph it into a state that suited her taste, such was the only ability she was capable of performing within the mana-draining room. The inhuman strength she possessed was also useless since the window-like part of the room was stronger than it looked. She scratched the clear surface, but that's it.

Evelynn stilled, sensing a presence nearby. At one side of the room, there was this room where any possible visitors can stay at if ever they wished to speak with anyone unfortunate enough to be punished.

In the mentioned guest area, Evelynn found the _Rogue Assassin_ standing there, most of her face concealed by the green mask she always wore around the Rift. Walking towards the glass part of the wall, she stopped and looked directly into the brown-hued gaze of the Ionian.

"Of all people to possibly come," Evelynn started in a murmur. "it's you who I find visiting me."

"Don't be too flattered. I came here to see you for my own reasons." Akali replied, their voices surprisingly reaching each other's ears. The room was constructed with magic, so both parties weren't surprised.

"Oh? And what might they be?"

Instead of answering, Akali just stared, looking like she was trying to will for something to happen. Now, Evelynn might not be the most genius individual in Runeterra, but she was able to come up with a theory that's quite spot-on with Akali's current thoughts.

Her dark greyish-purple skin slowly turned light and delicate-looking, her hair going from wild white to vibrant magenta tresses, her lips coloring from dark purple to light pink and lastly, her eyes turned fron slits to human-like. The amber color was clear and free for the naked eye to see how it glimmered underneath the light.

"She's beautiful, I admit." Evelynn said as she ran a normal-looking hand through her hair. With the way she imitated her human counterpart, it was shocking for Akali to see that the demon also copied the same provocative attire the diva was wearing during their last conversation. "And clearly, she doesn't need to be a genuine temptress to charm you."

"Revert back. Now."

"No." She answered defiantly, hand tracing over her arm as she slowly approached the glass. "I saw how you were with her before we left. You seemed to have become quite smitten."

Akali snarled. "Not to you. _Never_ to you."

A nonchalant shrug. "Never say never."

"If you think copying her image would change my opinions of you...-" Akali was cut short when Evelynn placed a hand over the glass and started scratching her claws over ever so slowly.

"I don't _care_ about your opinion," Evelynn stated with a dark look, wearing a hungry grin. "but I do care about your pain and how I'd like to hear you scream in my mercy."

A long moment of silence...

The rage in Akali's eyes faded, the angry emotion being replaced by a look of distaste as she mulled over what Evelynn had just said. It was a threat, yes, but she couldn't help but think of an alternative meaning.

"You should be careful with your words."

Evelynn raised an eyebrow, momentarily confused.

"They could be taken _completely_ out of context."

The siren stared, disbelief bubbling within her as she regarded the Ionian with a blank look. She might not have said anything, but it was enough for Akali to huff and turn her head away.

"Perhaps both of you are not so different with one another..." Evelynn murmured lowly, tapping her chin in contemplation as she turned around and walked towards the armchair across the room.

"What did you say?" Akali asked, uncertain if what she heard was correct.

"Darling, if it's _her_ you want," She turned and plopped down onto the armchair, crossing her legs and smirking at the champion that stared at her. "I'm afraid you'll find yourself rather disappointed with me. Unless, it is to sate your lust, then maybe I myself won't be so disappointed."

Akali twitched at the last statement, her cheeks coloring under her mask. Cussing in a grunt-like whisper, the rogue spun around and left the detention chamber without uttering a proper farewell to the sly succubus.

"Such sweet, sweet prey..." Evelynn grinned to herself as she continued staring at the spot where Akali was standing on a moment ago. "I hope she likes it hard and rough."

Meanwhile, with the Daughter of the Void, the latter was walking around the Institute with her recent experiences still fleeting across her mind. Although she wasn't traumatized by what had happened, she was curious though.

Judging from their alternate selves, it would seem that despite being in a different dimension, the champions of the League were still somewhat connected with one another. It's the reason why she was now roaming around the Institute with an eye out for a certain woman that might match the physical features of her counterparts lover. Head tilting a tad bit, Kai'Sa surveyed the most probable place she might find the one she was looking for.

The Mess Hall.

Despite the count of individuals currently present in the location at hand, Kai'Sa's gaze swiftly swept through them and was shockingly able to find a match of who she's looking for.

Sivir, the Battle Mistress, sat there, occupying one of the tables by herself, peacefully enjoying the meal she was having. Kai'Sa approached the champion without even a second's worth of hesitance, each step she took filled with determination she herself was unsure where it originated from.

Only when she was standing right in front of Sivir did she realize that the matter was now staring right at her with a raised eyebrow and a somewhat suspicious glint in her eyes.

"Can I help you, _Voidling_?" Sivir queried after a moment of nothing but the two of them staring at one another.

Kai'Sa snapped out of her mute daze upon hearing the little nickname she was given. Her eyebrows furrowed in distaste as she said, "I'm not a Voidling."

"Could've fooled me." Sivir said with a scoff-like laugh. "What do you want?"

"...You wouldn't understand."

"I'll take any story, honestly." Sivir said, leaning forward with interest. "So cough it up."

Kai'Sa blinked, recalling the conversation between hers and the other's counterpart. She had overheard them and so made sure to pay attention with whatever it was they were discussing. She couldn't help but feel a bit unusual with how this Sivir also had similarities with the alternate's verbal patterns.

Unable to think of how she'll broach the topic she had in mind, Kai'Sa decided to just be blatant. With her living in the Void for years, she didn't exactly know how to properly converse with people, so being straightforward wasn't new to her.

"Can I sit with you?"

Sivir lifted an eyebrow at her, but nonetheless gestured at the space on the other side of the table. With a nod as thanks, Kai'Sa slipped onto the seat, placing and clasping both of her hands together before she continued their talk.

Across her, Sivir eyed her with a mildly scrutinizing gaze, finding her unexpected approach somewhat unusual. She never really saw Kai'Sa casually interact with anyone in the League. The markswoman was one of the lone wolves in the Institute.

"Do you see yourself being involved with someone?" Kai'Sa abruptly queried, taking Sivir by surprise.

"Involved with someone? In what way?"

Kai'Sa glanced down to Sivir's plate, briefly distracted with the motions of the other's hands, which were busy cutting one of the five peaches with a knife. "Romantically."

Once again, Sivir quirked an eyebrow. "It's not my priority. Why do you ask?"

"Yet do you see yourself being in a loving relationship with someone? Specifically with a woman?"

"And maybe half-Voidling?" Sivir offered with a knowing look, stabbing a slice of peach and sticking the knife forward to offer the piece. "Is this your way of asking me if I'm interested in you?"

The alternate Kai'Sa probably would have been sputtering now with how straightforward the Blade Mistress was being, but the real Kai'Sa wasn't exactly the easiest person to fluster in Runeterra.

"I... didn't think of that notion." Kai'Sa said upon realizing that she didn't think that she'd get this far. She accepted the peach slice, nibbling on it like how a child would.

Sivir eyed her with amusement gleaming in her eyes. "You didn't think of that? If not, then what're all these questions?"

"Curiosity." Kai'Sa replied, savouring the peach slice. When Sivir took notice though, she stabbed another slice and offered it. Seeing that there was another piece being given, Kai'Sa immediately tossed the one she was holding in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she accepted the second offering. Again, she nodded her head in thanks.

"Curiosity? Really?" Sivir lightly scoffed, continuing on making more peach slices. "You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to answer truthfully," Kai'Sa returned, nibbling on the new slice and making an innocent yet amusing sight of herself. "which brings me to another question."

"And that question is...?"

"Do you see yourself being in a relationship with a much... human version of myself?"

For what felt like the umpteenth time, Sivir raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're just not interested in me?"

"Are you going to answer or not?"

"Alright, fine." Sivir easily conceded, curious to see where this was leading. "Sure, why not? You seem to be decent enough."

"I see. Do you see yourself embracing that particular version of me?"

"I don't know. I'm not one for physical affection."

As they both continued with their conversation, Sivir continued slicing the peaches on her plate, eventually pushing it forward for the two of them to share. It became rather obvious that the Void champion was fond of peaches.

"Would you make an exception though?"

"An exception? For you?"

Kai'Sa nodded.

Blue eyes slowly yet carefully audited her, taking in the face markings and the violet light armor the Void parasite had given to her. Without the unorthodox details she had received from the Void, Kai'Sa had looks that can certainly match a true beauty. Even now though, Sivir could still see the appeal she gave off, especially now that she had given more than moment to consider it all.

"Maybe." Sivir finally replied, slipping a slice of peach between her lips.

"What about a kiss? Would...-"

"I kiss you?" Sivir continued for Kai'Sa, placing an elbow on the table as she leaned forward and murmured, "Let's say I would, where's this whole talk of ours going to lead to anyway?"

"I told you, didn't I? This is all mere curiosity."

"You're not telling me _something_." Sivir said, narrowing her eyes. "Why don't you just tell me the real reason why you're asking me all these questions?"

Instead of becoming tense when she was called out, Kai'Sa remained calm and replied with, "You wouldn't believe me."

"Like I said, I'll take _any_ story." Sivir said, repeating what she had told her earlier. "You're talking to the best mercenary in Shurima. I've heard tales more bizarre than what you're probably hiding right now."

"I may not be familiar with any of the stories you've heard, but I'm certain that mine will be the most peculiar."

"Try me."

"...Fine." Kai'Sa forfeited with a small huff. "The reason why I'm asking all these questions is because I want to know if you share common traits with the version of yourself in a different universe."

Sivir blinked, momentarily speechless. Was Kai'Sa serious? As in, _actually_ serious?

"...What?"

"Due to inexplicable circumstances, I, along with the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Agony's Embrace and the Rogue Assassin, had traversed in an alternate world, where we crossed paths with our counterparts."

"Even if I believe what you're saying, how am I suddenly involved in this little story of yours?"

"It's not _just_ a story. It's an _experience_." Kai'Sa corrected in a firm tone. "And to answer that question of yours, you became involved because I later discovered in that world that my counterpart is in a romantic relationship with yours."

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

There were two things Sivir had in mind at that moment.

One, was she really going to believe such an outlandish story?

Two, if so called experience was legit, then what was she supposed to feel with this revelation?

When Kai'Sa continued staring at her for what felt like the longest while, Sivir released a breath and shook her head. She couldn't believe this _'Voidling'_ could still sit there and calmly eat her peach slices while she herself was as baffled as was when Azir had risen and claimed that she was part of his bloodline.

"What do you want me to say?" Sivir asked after a long moment of silence between them. "I came here to eat a couple of peaches in peace. I never expected a Voidling like you would just come up to me, ask me ridiculous questions and tell me a far-fetched story about you and I being in a relationship in a different world. Again, _what_ do you want me to say?"

Kai'Sa merely stared back at her, face unreadable and giving nothing away. It made Sivir shift on her seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how intense it seemed to be getting.

Surprisingly, Kai'Sa bowed her head for a second and said, "I apologize for the disturbance."

"Now wait a second," Sivir said, grabbing Kai'Sa's wrist before the latter could leave her seat completely. "where are...-"

"I should have predicted that you'd be different." Kai'Sa said, tone neutral and ironically void of emotion. "In that world, you are tender-hearted and was immensely understanding. Here, you are inconsiderate, sarcastic and absolutely _insensitive_."

"Wait, you...-"

"Now, if you'd excuse me." Kai'Sa yanked her wrist away, stepping away from the table. She gave a curt thanks for the peaches Sivir had cut up and shared with her before she spun around and walked away without saying another word.

Sivir could only stare at her retreating back, now looking more befuddled than she was. She scratched the back of her head, feeling bothered with how the conversation ended.

"What the hell did she even want me to say?"

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**


	2. Parallel in Mind

**Parallel in Mind** _(Continuation to "_ _**Parallel"** _ _)_

**(** _Italicized names_ **refer to characters originally from the K/DA universe)**

Exactly a month and a week. It's been that long ever since four of the League's champions had defied the rules of the Institute and ended up traversing to a different universe, possibly even breaking some unsaid laws concerning their act dimensional travel.

Within the mentioned span of time, the magic-affected Zz'Rot Portal had been studied and observed by the High Summoners of the Institute with utmost attention. After much inspection from their part, the High Council eventually recruited the assistance of the _Revered Inventor_ , who was quite enthusiastic in working with something so extraordinary.

Heimerdinger managed to successfully build a contraption that he was able to synchronize with the portal's mystifying connection to other dimensions. Despite the invention looking more than safe and acceptable, they have yet to conduct any tests.

"What exactly does this invention of yours do?" Vessaria asked as she watched Heimerdinger tweak one of the machinery's parts connected to the magical crystal being used in stabilizing the connection between the contraption and the portal itself.

"It's quite simple, High Councilor." Heimerdinger said as he stepped back and securely closed the main case that housed the gemstone. "Since traveling to another universe where one might cross paths with their alternate self is highly likely to cause not only confusion but a disturbance between both worlds as well, _this_ invention of mine might be able to solve such concern."

"I was hoping for a much clearer answer, not a rather cryptic one."

Heimerdinger raised a finger at her for a moment. "Patience, High Councilor. Science takes time."

Vessaria suppressed a sigh, tucking her hands behind her as she walked around the invention in order to inspect it. "Then at least tell me of its capability."

"This machinery will be able to transfer one's consciousness to their counterpart from a selected universe." Heimerdinger finally answered as he typed on the keyboard on the side.

"What about the counterpart's consciousness?"

"Well, theoretically speaking, the process will be similar to a robot's mechanics. They'll be temporarily _'shut down'_ once their body's consciousness is replaced by the user of this invention of mine."

"Will the counterpart have any memories of the initial's actions or thoughts?" Vessaria queried as her eyes closely audited the headpiece right beside the seat of the machine.

"If my theory serves right, then not at all!" Heimerdinger replied confidently. "They'll highly likely think they merely fell asleep for a fairly long time once they regain control over their body again."

"Alright, let me give an example." Vessaria said as she picked up the headpiece. "Let's say I was to try this invention myself. Once it begins the process, does that mean I'll be able to assume control of the body of the Vessaria Kolminye in a different universe?"

Heimerdinger nodded. "As long as it's initially set to a particular dimension, yes."

"How would you be able to retract the occupant's consciousness though?"

"Simple." Heimerdinger gestured to the special keypad beside the main keyboard, the former seemingly attached to another screen. "Either a timer is set or it could be manually done. With a single push of this red button, it'll bring back the user's consciousness to their original body."

"I see."

"Now," Satisfied with the codes he finished inputting, Heimerdinger clasped his hands together and turned to face the High Councilor. "when will our tests begin?"

Vessaria rubbed her chin with a finger as she contemplated, while Heimerdinger patiently waited for a response to his eager query. He knew he could only conduct test-runs for his new invention if he has the full permission of the Institute High Council.

"I have a particular individual in mind, but the question is," Vessaria turned her gaze back to the genius Yordle. "will you be able to track the same universe your fellow champions had entered?"

"Ah, the dimension the four had traveled to, yes?"

Vessaria nodded. "Set it in that dimension if possible."

"Who will our beta-tester be though?"

"You leave that to me." Vessaria then made a motion of turning away. "Now, if you'd excuse me, Revered Inventor, I have a particular matter to attend to. Please make sure this contraption of yours is in perfect condition for its possible first test-run."

"With pleasure, High Councilor."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The whole dimension-traveling was certainly nothing but a bizarre experience for the _Rogue Assassin_. Bizarre or not though, Akali wanted nothing more but to forget about the whole ordeal. It was such a disastrous turn of events and they even ended up meddling with the lives of their counterparts.

Seated on one of the benches in the Institute gardens while eating an onigiri and watching the fishes swim in the pond in front of her, Akali allowed her mind to drift away and towards the thoughts that she's been trying to erase in her head for the past month.

A single look at her once injured but now healed hand was enough to burn away all her progress in forgetting though. Being raised to take up her mother's place as the Fist of Shadow allowed only little tender-loving care throughout her childhood, so being dependent to someone was a foreign feeling for her.

She knew her parents, especially her father, somehow loved her, but it was so hard to believe such. Akali could barely remember the last time her very own mother held her like a parent would. It was the one that's missing. The one she longed and sought for.

Of course that mentioned experience of hers didn't share even an ounce of similarity with the wave of comfort and the warmth that came with the presence and attention of Evelynn's counterpart.

Although she had merely experienced such for a small handful of times, she just couldn't forget about the memorable company the diva had provided. That, and she always found herself feeling all warm and strangely fuzzy every time she recalled the kiss on the cheek she got from the beautiful woman.

"Ahem."

Akali snapped out of her little daze, gaze darting immediately towards the direction of the unexpected sound of someone clearing their throat. Her eyes met the obsidian orbs of the High Councilor, who nodded at her upon the moment their gazes met.

"High Councilor." She greeted, standing up and bowing respectfully.

"A pleasant morning to you, Rogue Assassin." Vessaria returned, gesturing back to the bench to wordlessly tell Akali to take a seat again.

Once the two of them were settled, Akali finished eating her small morning meal, while Vessaria decided to see if the Ionian will take the offer she's been planning ever since she left Heimerdinger at the summoning chamber.

"Knowing you have many things you might as well be doing rather than speaking with me, I'll be frank with what I currently have in mind." Vessaria started, clearly holding no intention in dilly-dallying.

"Is there something the matter?"

"Not exactly." Vessaria cleared her throat again. "As most know, the Revered Inventor is currently involved with the recent research concerning the portal that was taken from the Void."

"How does that concern me?"

"Heimerdinger has recently invented a machine that can supposedly transfer one's consciousness to a counterpart's body in an alternate dimension. As of now, there have been no tests that had been conducted, therefore, the main use of the contraption has yet to prove successful or not."

"Wait, are you expecting that _I_ would be your beta-tester?"

"I was hoping, yes."

"Why me though?" Akali asked, gesturing at herself. "There are so many people out there that you could ask."

"Well, yes, but I'm asking you for a reason." Vessaria replied rather simply, sounding as if Akali being the main choice is absolutely reasonable.

"And what reason is that?"

"You want to see _Evelynn_ again, don't you?" Vessaria outright asked, maintaining a cool face. "The _Evelynn_ of _that_ world? She seems to have left a mark in your mind, haven't she?"

"How..." Akali scooted away a tad bit, facing the High Councilor with a suspicious gaze. "How do you know that?"

"When the four of you returned, all of you were placed under the custody of the High Council for at least a day, remember? You all agreed as well and gave us permission to look into your minds after we questioned the four of you about your dimensional travel."

"You saw my memories." Akali uttered in realization, gaze wandering aside. She sighed as she rested back, rubbing her free hand over her face as she sighed. "What would I have to gain from saying yes to this experiment?"

"You are considering?"

" _Considering_ , yes." Akali said, emphasizing how she was still not a hundred percent agreeing to be their personal guinea pig.

"Name a price, if you wish." Vessaria said, before adding, "Know as well that your health is our utmost priority here, regardless of the machinery's testing. If you feel any sort of agony or mental disturbance, we will end the test and you are entirely free to walk away."

"That's the only gain, then? Coin?"

"Other than seeing the memorable woman you encountered, are there any beneficial conditions you may have in mind? If there are, then please, don't hesitate to say them now."

Vessaria was making a valid point, despite the fact that she sounded like she was manipulating Akali in agreeing. Although the ninja had the right to ask for some time to consider this, yet Akali herself didn't bother asking for it. Instead, she made a decision right then and there.

"A success or not, I don't want my memories tampered with after the test." Akali said after a brief moment of contemplation. "I don't want my mind touched by any other sort of magic. My memories are _mine_ to make and keep."

"Understood. Anything else?"

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.....

"No one else can know about this other than me, you, the High Council and the Revered Inventor."

"The High Council promises you utter confidentiality."

"Alright... I'm in."

Vessaria nodded and was honestly thankful she didn't need to perform any further convincing, but she felt the need to ask though. "Is she really worth coming back to?"

Eyes stuck on her hands and head somewhat bowed, Akali softly murmured, "You wouldn't understand."

"...I won't pry, then."

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Maybe saying yes was a mistake. Now that she was settled on the slanted seat and was having the headpiece being worn over her head, Akali was having so much second thoughts.

During their way to the summoning chamber, Vessaria had warned her about so many risks involving the testing, including the possibility of turning into a human vegetable if the transfer of her consciousness goes incredibly wrong.

Regardless of feeling cold feet now, Akali kept quiet and allowed Heimerdinger to secure her in place. Her curiosity won over her, prompting her to only hope that this whole transfer goes smoothly. Usually, she had much better judgments, especially when it came to these situations, but she was _overwhelmed_.

Overwhelmed with the inner yearning to catch sight and possibly speak with a particular woman that refused to leave her head in peace.

"Akali," Vessaria spoke up, referring to the Ionian by her actual name. "if you feel _any_ doubts in proceeding with this, you are absolutely free to retract your initial agreement. Now, are you entirely certain that you _still_ want to proceed?"

Akali couldn't find any words from her vocabulary, so her reply ended up being a mere nod. Vessaria shot her look, which told her that she needed to give a more legitimate reply.

"I want to see her again." Akali answered truthfully. "So, no. I am not cowering away now."

"If you're sure, then alright. We shall continue."

She glanced at the dark-haired councilor a couple of times before absently fixating her gaze to the ceiling of the chamber. Akali took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her fists as she prepared herself for any sudden sensations, especially since Heimerdinger had begun typing on the keyboard beside her.

"If my theory is precise, then you'll feel briefly lightheaded once you assume control of your counterpart. Now, all I need is to push _this_ ," Heimerdinger finished typing and hovered a hand over the blue button beside the red one. "little button right here. Are you ready?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Akali nodded again, while her form tensed and her fists clenched. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright. Expect to be in control of your alternate self for exactly twelve hours. After that, your consciousness will return to your original body. Understood?"

Akali nodded. As much as she could with the headpiece over her head at least.

"The test shall begin in one..."

She could still back away from this.

"Two..."

Tell the High Councilor that she made a mistake and that she wanted to take back everything she said.

"Three!"

Nope, too late.

Akali gasped before her eyes drifted shut and her form abruptly relaxed on the seat, looking as if she had suddenly fallen in an abrupt yet deep spell of slumber. Her breathing was calm, her fists unclenched and every ounce of tension vacated her body.

"What happened to her?" Vessaria was quick to question, approaching Akali and inspecting her to see if she was still well and alive.

"Now, now, High Councilor," Heimerdinger said, gesturing for the woman to calm herself. "she is merely asleep."

"Asleep?"

"Well, her body is." Heimerdinger then turned back to the screen as he nodded, satisfied with what he was seeing in the monitor. "I can't seem to say the same for her mind though."

"It was a success?"

Turning back to Vessaria, Heimerdinger looked and sounded rather proud as he clasped his gloved hands together and said, "As I predicted!"

.....

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**(K/DA Universe)**  
 **(Reminder** : _Italicized names_ **refer to characters originally from the K/DA Universe)**

The soft whirring of the treadmill filled the room as the diva of K/DA did her usual morning routine, earbuds plugged in her ears and eyes wandering around the gym every now and then whenever she became exceedingly bored at the reflection of the wall mirror in front of her.

It was around ten in the morning. Technically, she should've been awake two hours ago and was already going through her morning exercises, but a certain freestyler still didn't want to get up and asked her to sleep in with her. Apparently, cuddles were an absolute _must_ in her girlfriend's book.

Not only was the treadmill emitting its quiet noise, but the room was also filled with the sound of the punching bag being pummeled by the rapper of the pop group.

Despite the music playing through the earbuds, _Evelynn_ could still hear the muffled sound of each collision of a bandaged fist against the leather surface of the bag. An idle smile took place on her lips as she spared a look at her girlfriend's direction every now and then.

_Akali_ looked absolutely focused with every swing she performed, so it took _Evelynn_ completely by surprise when the said artist just froze, let her arms fall to the side and allow the punching bag to swing back to her full-force and strike her in retaliation.

"Kali!" _Evelynn_ called out the second she saw her lover be thrown back and end up crashing onto the weights rack at the side.

The sound of her hand slapping against the control panel of the treadmill was muffled by the weights that fell off from its place and onto the floor. The loud ruckus it caused overlapped with the thumps _Evelynn's_ hurried steps made on the matted floor as she hurried over to the groaning rapper.

Now, when Akali agreed being the High Council's little test subject involving the contraption Heimerdinger created and the Zz'Rot Portal taken from the void, she didn't expect that she'd be taken back to the dimension she was once in and take control of her counterpart's body, only to be practically rammed by a bag of sand and end up crashing onto a rack of dumbbells.

The soreness around the body she was now in couldn't make her do anything but groan. She stayed on the ground, remaining a crumpled heap and hoping the pain would dull and become numb faster than it was already doing.

"Darling? Darling, are you alright?" Came the diva's frantic query, voice filled with absolute worry for her present state.

A soft pair of hands delicately took hold of her arms and carefully lifted her up. Unable to give a verbal response other than a groan, Akali settled on leaning most of her weight against the person assisting her.

"Akali, talk to me. Are you okay?" _Evelynn_ asked, dropping the usual nicknames she usually used when referring to her lover.

Akali nodded, holding back a hiss once she felt an ache run over her back when she left her hunched posture. "I'm fine..."

"I think that's enough exercising for today." _Evelynn_ said, shaking her head as she adjusted her hold around the other woman. "Can you walk?"

"Of course I can." Akali somewhat sarcastically said, taking one step forward, only for her leg to give out due to the soreness it was still experiencing.

The body of her alternate self wasn't really used to going through rough things similar to her recent crash. It was very unlike the body Akali originally possesses, which went through various rigorous training.

Thankfully for her though, she didn't end up crashing back on the floor. _Evelynn_ kept her up on her feet, arms and hands securely holding her.

"Clearly, you can't."

"It's nothing. I can still do it."

"Akali, you _can't_ walk."

"Listen. I can perfectly...-"

Rolling her eyes, _Evelynn_ shook her head before she said, "Enough excuses."

An audible yelp echoed across the room when Akali was abruptly scooped up by none other than _Evelynn_ , who held her bridal style without much difficulty. The ninja wanted to squirm in her grasp, but when she met the sharp look of the diva, she could only stiffen for a moment before she entirely surrendered.

Akali had one arm around _Evelynn's_ shoulders and while the latter had her amber gaze focused on the hall ahead of her upon their exit from the gym room, the Ionian's own eyes, which were blue instead of her original light brown hues, were fixed on the face of her carrier.

She wanted to look elsewhere. Anywhere, honestly, but the sight of the vocalist's beautiful face was enough to keep her attention. This was the first time she took in those defined facial features and she figured she could somehow savour it now.

Akali was only able to snap out of the daze _Evelynn's_ looks had put her in when she was laid on a bed and a kiss was placed upon her forehead. She blinked to herself as she watched _Evelynn_ remove her shoes before settling right beside her.

"Where does it hurt?" _Evelynn_ asked, eyes worriedly regarding her body before making eye contact with her.

"You..." Akali cleared her throat and looked away, unable to keep herself in staring into the artist's gaze. "You didn't even ask if my whole body even hurts."

"Darling, I saw you get rammed by a punching bag and end up crashing to the rack of weights." _Evelynn_ bluntly stated, shooting her a look that told her not to make any more excuses. "I don't need to be a mind-reader to know that your body is probably going to be sore for a couple of days."

"Listen. I'm fine." Akali said, all of her training with her mother, Shen and Kennen briefly fleeting across her mind. "I've been through worse."

_Evelynn_ rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she said, "Right, and by that, you mean the street fights you've been in?"

Akali was about to correct _Evelynn_ , but then she remembered where she was and whose body she was in now. She pursed her lips immediately, realizing that she was, in some way, living another person's life.

"Even if my body hurts, what can _you_ do about it anyway?"

"Is that a challenge?" _Evelynn_ asked, sounding more intrigued rather than offended.

"No," Akali took her own turn in crossing her arms as she shot _Evelynn_ a look. "it's not. I'm just stating facts."

"Stating facts? Is that what that was?"

"Yes, it was. Now, I'm a perfectly capable person and I can handle myself. Like I said, I've been through worse and a little crash like that is nothing compared to those things."

Now that Akali mentally listed out every crashes and falls she experienced during her years of training in succeeding the title of the _Fist of Shadow_ , the soreness of her body was subsiding. She felt much worse than what she was feeling now, so it helped her mind numb every little pain that tried bothering her.

Although there was still a dull ache dwelling in the back of her mind, she brushed it off and decided to focus on the woman that was regarding her with a seemingly curious gaze.

"Are you sure you're alright?" _Evelynn_ asked after taking a moment in thoroughly observing her.

"I'm not a child, _Evelynn_." Akali said, shifting on the bed and pushing herself to a more upright position.

The mattress was unbelievably soft and comfy, but she wasn't ready to let her guard down so easily. She just arrived in this dimension and she wanted to tread carefully, regardless of the fact that her consciousness was the only one that traveled in the first place.

_Evelynn_ quirked an eyebrow at her. "Are you angry at me for carrying you here?"

"What? Why would I be?"

"You seem to be so... high-strung." _Evelynn_ pointed out, momentarily gesturing at her.

The diva's words made Akali realize that she was being too curt and rather rude to her, which was certainly something her counterpart didn't do. From what she had gathered in her first trip in this dimension, _Akali_ was completely in love with this version of the Agony's Embrace.

They were, dare she say it... _lovey-dovey_.

"I just want to take a bath." Akali muttered, turning away again and hoping her excuse would be enough for _Evelynn_ to leave the whole issue alone.

Not only did she feel the need to rid herself of the sweat blanketing her skin, but she was also hoping she could have this chance to mentally compose herself for this predicament she had volunteered to be put in.

Much to her fortune, _Evelynn_ nodded and said, "Hmm, I guess a warm shower might do you good."

Akali gave a mental sigh of relief, thankful for the given opportunity.

But much to her _misfortune_ though...

"It _has_ been a while ever since you and I showered together."

...her counterpart's lover wanted to join.

Akali's eyes widened. She tried scooting back when _Evelynn_ leaned forward and moved towards her, but with her back already against the cushioned headboard, she knew she was cornered.

Her hands clutched the sheets the moment _Evelynn_ straddled her, hands cupping her cheeks and making sure their gazes never broke away from one another.

"W-What're y...-"

"Shh..." _Evelynn_ hushed her, leaning in until her face hovered above hers. "If your body isn't sore, then let me make it sore."

"Wha...-!"

Akali didn't even finish her exclaimed reaction, for _Evelynn_ vanquished the space between their lips. Her eyes were as wide as they could get as _Evelynn_ _conquered_ her mouth, tongue skillfully toying with hers.

_Evelynn_ was _devouring_ her, and goddamn, it was mind-blowing and definitely _not_ life-threatening.

Sure, she had experienced more than one or two kisses here and there. Some may even be aggressive, but what she was experiencing now was just beyond compare. It was incredible and she could feel the passion and desire with each second she allowed the kiss to continue. It wasn't _just_ a kiss.

All good things have an ending though.

In this case, Akali's panic became the origin of such.

.....!

"Agh...!" _Evelynn_ shortly cried out, pulling back and covering her mouth with a hand of hers.

Akali bit her tongue.

"What was that for?" She eventually asked, lips still concealed behind her fingers and eyes regarding Akali with a mildly hurt gaze.

"Can you get off?" Akali asked, looking completely uncomfortable and embarrassed. "Please? Just get off me."

The order was shocking and unexpected in _Evelynn's_ eyes, but she chose not to say anything about it. Instead, she removed herself from her perch and settled on the free space on the bed.

Once the artist vacated her lap, Akali got off the bed and turned back to face the only occupant on the said furniture. She found _Evelynn_ moving to the edge of it, hand pulling the bottom drawer of the bedside table and withdrawing a small mirror.

Lips parting, _Evelynn_ used the mirror to check her tongue's current state. Apparently, Akali didn't hold back enough with the bite she gave. Her tongue was bleeding. It wasn't near in being bitten off, but it was bleeding and hurting nonetheless.

Guilt was quick to seep in Akali's system. It's not _Evelynn's_ fault she wanted to kiss her girlfriend. The only problem here is that it wasn't the rapper that's in control of her body.

"I'm sorry." Akali apologised as she watched _Evelynn_ close her mouth again, hiding her tongue from view. "The kiss you gave me. It just caught me by surprise. I didn't expect you to just kiss me like that."

_Evelynn_ placed the mirror down on the table, looking at Akali as if she was uttering something so baffling. "I kiss you like that _all the time_."

Akali had to hold back a wince. Of course _Evelynn_ kissed her counterpart like that. They're both very passionate with their love, that much the Ionian took notice of.

"Is there something I did wrong?" _Evelynn_ asked, voice surprisingly calm. Akali half-expected _Evelynn_ to be at least a bit angry at her for biting her tongue.

"No, no, it's not you." Now the last thing Akali wanted was to cause complications for hers and the succubus' alternate selves. "It's me, alright? I was...-"

"Is this your way of showing me that you still haven't forgiven me?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

_Evelynn_ sighed. "Are you still angry that I flirted with your lookalike? The ninja?"

Akali's eyes widened. Was her freestyler counterpart jealous of her and the brief span of time she spent with the diva?

"I knew that it bothered you in one way, but I never thought you're still holding a grudge now." _Evelynn_ said, wearing an apologetic expression as she stood up and approached her.

Even though she wanted to put as much space as she could between them earlier, Akali didn't take even a step back when _Evelynn_ neared her. She might've became a little rigid when the artist took hold of her hands, but she relaxed when _Evelynn_ brought them up and placed a few kisses over her knuckles.

"You probably bottled all this anger up, didn't you?" _Evelynn_ asked in a murmur, lips giving her right knuckle one last kiss. "You've been so rough with me lately. Is that all because of your jealousy?"

Akali found her cheeks warming up upon hearing _Evelynn's_ words. The image of her alternate self and the woman before her in a highly _compromising_ position being the one to mainly blame for the redness spread across her face.

"Talk to me, Akali." _Evelynn_ said, a pleading look in her eyes as she released her hands and decided to wrap her arms around her shoulders to press herself against her. "What can I do for you to forgive me?"

It was difficult to think straight with such a riveting body pressed against her, but Akali surprisingly managed to utter something before she even thought of it.

"Why did you kiss her?"

The question was mainly for Akali herself than her counterpart. She was somewhat sure that the rapper already forgave _Evelynn_ and was just naturally... _aggressive_ in bed recently.

There was no surprise from _Evelynn_ upon hearing the query, but there was a seemingly guilty look that crossed the vocalist's face as she recalled the short times she was with the ninja during their stay in the penthouse.

"She was so cold and distant. Not only to mine, but Ahri and Kai'Sa's lookalikes as well." _Evelynn_ started, a despondent gleam in her eyes. "In some way, she's you. I couldn't stop myself from thinking that I _had_ to do something to make _her_ feel something."

"What could've you done for her?" Akali spoke too harshly than she initially intended. "You're just some stranger to her. You didn't know her or what she needed. What could you have...-"

Akali cut herself off when _Evelynn_ took half a step back, regarding her with a gaze of absolute scrutiny. It was more than mildly uncomfortable and it was nearly enough to make her fidget. She almost jumped when _Evelynn_ spoke up again, voice sounding like she was somehow measuring something.

"What car do I drive?"

"What?" Akali asked back, befuddled by the sudden inquiry.

"I said, what car do I drive?"

"Car? What? Where did this come from?"

"Answer the question."

"You can't just change the subje...-"

"Answer the damn question, Akali." _Evelynn_ cut off, tone clearly indicating she wasn't going to accept any more of her bullshit excuses.

Akali took a breath as she shook her head, eyes averting as she answered with, "How am I supposed to know?"

For a long moment, silence consumed them. The only sound they could hear was the low, almost mute rumble of the air conditioner and of course the deafening beating of both their hearts. If the clock in the room wasn't the digital type, the ticking noises probably would've echoed throughout the room.

"You're not _my_ Akali, are you?"

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

"...No, I'm not." Akali eventually replied, sighing as she pulled back and turned away, unable to face the woman with her.

_Evelynn_ was shocked, yes. Massively, even. There were hundreds of questions that popped up in her mind upon this revelation, but she pushed most of them back. She decided to ask what was _needed_ first before uttering the ones she _wanted_.

"I thought you and your... friends might come back, but I didn't expect it would be this way." _Evelynn_ said, sounding more hesitant rather than cautious. "How long have you been controlling my girlfriend's body?"

"Just recently." Akali truthfully responded back, knowing it was futile and would cause more confusion and trouble if she lied. "It's the reason why I was struck by the bag of sand earlier."

"So you're saying that you merely took control of her body in the middle of her workout?"

"Yes."

"...May I ask how?"

Akali sighed. "It's complicated."

"Where's _Akali_ , then? _My_ Akali."

"She's fine, so you don't have anything to worry about. Right now, she's just... asleep, for lack of a better term. She'll regain control of her body soon."

_Evelynn_ gave Akali a full-body look before asking, "How long will you be controlling her body?"

"From what I've been told, after twelve hours."

"Half a day, then?"

Mutely, Akali nodded.

"And after that, my Akali will be back in control?"

"Yes, and there's a high possibility that I will never take control of her body again, especially with you now knowing this." Akali sighed again. "You finding out about this wasn't part of anyone's plans."

"Then why did you take control of her in the first place?"

"It's a test and I was the guinea pig, alright? It's just to see if the whole process would work."

"Clearly," _Evelynn_ started, eyeing her curiously. "it did."

"Obviously."

Craving for more answers, mainly ones that her heart was yearning to know, _Evelynn_ inched towards Akali and stood beside her. The latter still avoided her gaze, but at least she could see her face from her current position.

"Why are you here?"

"I told you, didn't I? I was the...-"

_Evelynn_ shook her head. "I asked why _you_ are here, Akali. I'm fairly convinced that someone else could've taken control of their own counterpart."

Akali kept her lips pursed, refusing to just outright admit the reason why she agreed to participate in the test in the first place. She was used to keeping to herself, especially since she was rarely asked about her thoughts and opinions.

"You... wanted to come back, didn't you? Or even if you didn't, you were likely asked and you said yes, am I right?" _Evelynn_ watched as Akali shifted under her gaze, eyes darting from side to side before settling on the floor. "It's the latter."

For the third time, Akali sighed, but this time it was her way of showing that she was surrendering to her questioning. "Fine. Yes, you're right. I wasn't forced. I was asked, and I said yes. Happy?"

"I am, but not because you admitted it." _Evelynn_ replied, gaze softening. "Have you been taking care of yourself?"

Akali groaned and shook her head at the shift of conversation. "You never answered _my_ question."

"What question?"

"The reason behind the kiss." Akali murmured quietly. "I want to know why you did it."

Expectedly, she got no immediate response. What she did get was a light tug on her wrist, which prompted her to look towards _Evelynn_ , who then began pulling her towards the couch at the foot of the bed.

Akali didn't fight her. She allowed the diva to lead and settle them onto the leather seats of furniture, which left her somehow no choice but to somewhat face _Evelynn_. It was quite hard to avoid her gaze now.

"You have limited time here and for your questions to be answered," _Evelynn_ started as she kept her left hand loosely interlocked with Akali's right. "and I can somewhat say the same."

Of all things to experience for the day when she woke up this morning, she never predicted that she'll be controlling her alternate self's body and would be speaking with the latter's lover.

"I kissed you that night because I wanted to." _Evelynn finally_ answered her very first question. "Not only does it seem like a bad idea now, but it's also telling me that I ended up messing with your emotions."

"Seeing you and my counterpart together was already enough to mess my feelings up." Akali said, recalling how she spied the pair sneaking a few kisses whenever they thought the four of them were unaware.

Those were innocent moments that showed how the two artists were indeed irrevocably in love with one another. It was so hard to believe that they despised one another in likely more than just a single alternate universe.

"I'm sorry, Akali. I didn't mean to confuse you any further than we already have."

.....

.....

.....

"This was what I missed." Akali abruptly spoke up after a minute or two of silence passed. "Although I only felt this from you in a span of three days, I ended up missing this when I went back home."

"What exactly _did_ you miss?"

"The warmth." Akali looked down to their mildly interlocked fingers, which she moved until _she_ was the one holding onto _Evelynn's_ hand. "It's what that _demon_ doesn't have. What _I_ don't have in my world."

_Evelynn_ wore a saddened expression as she gave Akali's hand a small squeeze, but she said nothing, silently letting the ninja continue.

"I guess I'm a little envious of my counterpart. Back in my universe, I had no one to watch over me. To make sure I'm fine and unharmed. To keep me away from the struggles. To hold me when I need warmth. Not even my mother. I'm independent because I need to be."

" _This_ is why I kissed you." _Evelynn_ said, gazing at their intertwined hands with a downhearted look. "I told you, I see my Akali in you, because in some bizarre way, you _are_ her. She went through similar struggles, believe me. I want nothing more but to make my love happy."

"I honestly want to doubt what you're saying, but all I see on your face... Your eyes. There's nothing but the truth." Akali uttered as she finally looked into _Evelynn's_ bright amber orbs.

_Evelynn_ offered a small, tender smile. "I would never lie about what I feel, especially when it comes to the one that I love."

Hearing such sincere words from the woman with her made Akali's heart beat faster than she could throw her kunais. Her gaze remained fixated on the diva's eyes, which twinkled when she spoke again and decided to offer a suggestion.

"If you'll be here for less than twelve hours, I think we should make the most of it."

"Hah?" Akali's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

_Evelynn_ gave a little wink at her before standing up, breaking their loose hand-holding and making her way to the closet, where she withdrew a casual yet stylish attire the freestyler of the group would absolutely wear.

"Let's go for a ride."

"A ride?"

"Just take a quick shower and put this on, alright? I'll be back for you in thirty minutes."

"Wait, we're leaving?"

_Evelynn_ nodded, laying the outfit on the bed. "That we are, darling."

"Why?"

Flashing that stunning smile of hers, _Evelynn_ said, "I'm taking you out on a date."

Akali wanted to ask what _Evelynn_ meant by that, but the woman just repeated to her how she only has thirty minutes to prepare herself before she comes back and picks her up for the abrupt plans they now had for the rest of her stay.

The whole showering thing wasn't eventful, as long as Akali tries forgetting about how she yelped out loud when she ended up turning the switch of the cold water. It took her at least a minute, but she figured out how to adjust the temperature of the bathwater.

In less than twenty minutes, Akali was dressed in the clothes the vocalist had prepared for her. She was a bit embarrassed when she saw that _Evelynn_ had come back to the room while she was in the shower just to add a set of underwear for her to wear underneath the outfit.

Throwing on the pair of jeans, black tank top and the green plaid shirt, Akali examined herself through the full-body mirror hanging at one side of the room.

The whole outfit she was wearing made her question for a moment what type of fashion did the people of this world wore in their daily lives. Was the set she's wearing the usual or was it something more? She wasn't exactly certain.

Her face twisted in distaste when she noticed that she didn't dry her hair enough with the towel she found in the shower. Just like the hair she originally has, her alternate self's own tresses were thick, fluffy and naturally wild.

She was just about to retrieve the towel from the bathroom as an attempt to further rub her hair dry when a couple of knocks came from the door, which opened after and revealed _Evelynn_.

The artist was dressed in a dark magenta blouse half-tucked in a pair of light blue jeans, black heels completing her outfit for their date. As expected, the first few buttons were undone and gave a generous view of skin and cleavage. It was something _Evelynn_ was used to doing, especially when she's out with her friends or her lover.

Amber eyes had a glint of amusement when she found Akali's hair still visibly damp and still barefoot. She smiled as she said, "Go get a towel. I'll get you some shoes."

"Okay...?"

Doing what she was told, Akali swiped the towel from the bathroom and returned to the bedroom. _Evelynn_ already placed a pair of green sneakers beside the bed and was holding a pair of black foot socks for her.

"Sit down."

Akali felt awfully out of her element as she settled on the bed, letting _Evelynn_ slip the socks and shoes on her feet with ease. She had to stop herself from fidgeting, eyes intently focused on the woman dressing her as if she was a child.

After tying the shoelaces, _Evelynn_ took the towel from Akali and started drying her hair for her. The whole situation was foreign for the ninja, who eventually couldn't stop herself from asking the diva about it.

"Doesn't this bother you?" Akali asked, a mild frown on her face as _Evelynn_ scrubbed her hair with a towel.

"What does?"

"This." Akali briefly gestured at her head. "How _dependent_ I am to you. Doesn't it feel like you're caring for a baby?"

"Well," _Evelynn_ started with a little chuckle, brushing all of Akali's hair back and leaning down to give her nose a featherlight kiss. "I _do_ call Akali my baby from time to time."

The Ionian's face reddened, not knowing if _Evelynn_ was trying to mock her or embarrass her with the affectionate gesture. The vocalist resumed her task with a faint curve on her lips, humming a tune as she did.

"I take that you're enjoying this?" Akali muttered, thankful her blush was subsiding. She was scowling though, an expression the little kiss _Evelynn_ gave coaxed from her.

"And you're not?" _Evelynn_ shot back, not at all needing to look under the towel to know Akali's scowl became more pronounced. "If you want me to stop, just say so. I'll drop the towel as soon as you do."

Ten seconds.

Twenty second.

Thirty seconds.

Even when a full minute eventually passed, Akali didn't utter anything. _Evelynn_ knew she had won, but instead of flaunting her victory like she usually did with the rapper, she just smirked to herself and finished drying the scowling ninja's hair.

Once her hair was dry and the diva tied it up in its usual ponytail, Akali was led out of the room. They passed by _Ahri_ and _Kai'Sa_ downstairs, both women waving goodbye at them after _Evelynn_ told them they'd be back later. They had just exited the elevator and was walking through the parking lot when _Evelynn_ spoke up.

"I'd let you drive if you could, but I don't think you know how to." _Evelynn_ said in a light teasing tone.

Akali whipped her head to the beeping sound of a car, spotting the purple Lamborghini _Evelynn_ owns. "Is that yours?"

"Yes, it is." _Evelynn_ opened the door for Akali, ushering her to step in.

"Where exactly are we even going?"

Smiling sweetly, _Evelynn_ said, "Just get in and trust me."

If this was the demonic beauty from her dimension, she would've vehemently refused and maybe even drew either a kunai or her kama against the deadly woman.

But clearly, the _Evelynn_ before her was wholly different.

A door closing here, another one later opening on the other side, they were soon both inside the vehicle. Akali hadn't even fully taken in the sight of the car's dashboard by the time _Evelynn_ was already driving out of the underground parking, slipping her signature sunglasses on before she was blinded by the sunlight reflecting on the windows of the buildings.

Throughout their drive to wherever _Evelynn_ intended on taking her, Akali looked out of the window in mild awe and evident wonder. This dimension shared an awful lot of similarities with Piltover, but they're mainly less advance than the City of Progress itself.

The time for sightseeing came to an end when _Evelynn_ parked the car at a parking beside a sidewalk. One moment they were in the vehicle, the next they were both walking through what seemed to be a huge park.

Akali kept herself close, but not too close, to _Evelynn_ as they walked down the path laid out before them, her eyes darting between the people they passed before her gaze eventually refocused on _Evelynn_ , who started speaking.

"You seem to be the outdoorsy type, so I figured I could take you out for a walk around here." _Evelynn_ said, smiling once the Ionian turned to look at her. "Don't go climbing trees all of a sudden though."

"Is that all we're going to do here?" Akali asked, glancing at the people either playing catch, sharing a picnic basket or walking through the park like them. "Is this how a date usually goes in this world?"

"Not exactly."

"You're not certain?" When Akali turned o face her companion, she found _Evelynn_ looking at her with what seemed to be a fond gaze.

"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable." _Evelynn_ answered with a small smile. "Is it fine with you that I take the lead?"

Akali offered a shrug, pulling on the sleeve of her shirt before coughing quietly. "I mean, this _is_ your idea."

"Alright then, I'll show you how my _Akali_ and I do little dates."

Entire body becoming rigid, Akali had to suppress the jump of surprise she nearly gave upon the grasp of _Evelynn's_ hand onto her own. When she looked back at the woman, she found the latter smiling to herself as she picked up their pace in walking and pulled her along.

_Evelynn's_ laughter reached her ears, the soft sound easily piercing through the air whooshing past her ears as they both ran past countless strangers.

At first, Akali was confused why they were even running or how _Evelynn_ wasn't having even an ounce of difficulty in running, especially with her choice of footwear. The heels might not be extremely high, but it wasn't little either.

Eventually, they both slowed down but only when they crossed the bridge overlooking most of the lake and finally found a huge tree that offered shade much bigger than most of the others.

"A tree?" Akali asked when they stopped right in front of it. "That's why we ran? To see a tree?"

Chuckling, Evelynn tugged on her again as they approached the tall piece of nature. "It's not _just_ a tree. Not to me and my _Akali_ , at least."

"Then, what is it?"

"Whenever _Akali's_ feeling a little stir-crazy back home, she usually goes here to either write lyrics or just relax. Now," _Evelynn_ slipped her heels off, leaving them beside the tree before she placed a hand on Akali's shoulder. "give me a boost."

"...What?"

"Just help me up." _Evelynn_ said with a little titter, nodding to the thick tree branch right above their heads.

"Okay...?" Akali assisted the diva, making sure she pushed her up enough for the woman to easily climb the tree and eventually settle on the branch. She stared at _Evelynn_ , who looked down on her and ushered for her to follow. "What's the point of all this?"

_Evelynn_ flashed a smile, gesturing again. "Just come here. I'm sure climbing a tree is much easier than balancing yourself on a railing of a staircase."

And it was. Akali huffed, but nonetheless started climbing the tree. Once she was up and idled right beside _Evelynn_ , the woman scooted away a little to give her a much comfortable space to perch herself on.

When she was officially situated on the branch, _Evelynn_ moved close and rested her head on her shoulder, intertwining their hand with one another once again.

"Is this all you do here?" Akali asked after a moment, finally managing to vanquish the tension in her body. Her eyes focused on the corner to spy the serene face of her company. "Perch on a branch and just sit close together?"

"You're not much of a fan for these types of dates, are you?" _Evelynn_ asked, sounding amused rather than disappointed. "I'm not exactly sure what an assassin like you would prefer doing on a date."

"Then this _is_ what you do here. Just sit here?"

_Evelynn_ softly sighed, pulling back and turning to Akali. "Have you never at least stopped to look at something beautiful? To take the time and admire it?"

"I'd rather train." Akali muttered, frowning as she stared at the grass below them. "Doing nothing like this is a waste of time. People die in my world if you don't do anything. If _I_ don't do anything. Time is a luxury."

Even though she wasn't looking, she could see _Evelynn_ through her peripherals. The artist was looking at her with a crestfallen gleam in her amber orbs, and Akali felt the urge to banish them. If she was aiming to dampen the mood between them, then she was doing a splendid job at it.

"Maybe you'll allow yourself to have it just for today." _Evelynn_ murmured, thumb gently caressing Akali's forehand. "You're not in your world, Akali. You're in mine."

Akali somewhat hesitantly faced the vocalist, who delicately smiled and reached forward to caress her cheek. She leaned in to the touch, but only a little. It was so warm, loving and utterly _foreign_. Her eyes drifted close, a soft sigh slipping through her lips as she took in the tender touch of the woman's fingertips.

"I wish I could take you back with me." Akali unconsciously whispered, thinking she merely said such in the safety of her mind.

With a despondent look, _Evelynn_ leaned in and gave Akali one of the lightest yet warmest kiss she has ever felt on her life. It might not be as intimate as a kiss on the lips, but the feeling of such meaningful touch on her forehead was enough for a plethora of emotions to bloom within her.

A forlorn smile shaped _Evelynn's_ lips as she regarded Akali, thumb brushing against her cheek. The angel-like caress was enough to coax Akali in reopening her eyes, azures desolately staring back at the diva.

"You tempt me, darling." _Evelynn_ murmured, retreating back and meeting Akali's half-confused gaze. "Or maybe this is just me playing with fire."

Eyebrows furrowed, Akali asked, "What does that supposed to mean?"

What she got in reply was a simple shake of a head and a naturally charming smile as _Evelynn_ took hold of her hand. Before she did that though, she ushered and waited until Akali got over her hesitance and finally laid her head on her shoulder this time.

The current position Akali had assumed gave her the opportunity to catch sight of the view their perch provided them. The blue sky reflected on the waters of the lake, while the greens that surrounded the water complimented the scenery.

"The Evelynn in your world," The magenta-haired woman started after a long, comfortable silence passed. "is there really no hope for her to actually develop a heart? To you at least?"

Akali half-heartedly scoffed. "She's a demon that _thrives_ from the pain of her victims. She's far from developing even a semblance of a heart."

"That's... unfortunate."

"Besides, she may look and sound like you and share your name, she still won't be _you_." Akali sighed, now realizing that it truly was relaxing to just stop and do nothing.

Settled on a tree branch with the company of a tender-hearted woman like _Evelynn_ , this was something Akali would surely miss once this was all over.

"She tempts me by replicating your appearance. She wants me to be her victim, not her lover. So, no, she'll _never_ be an option."

_Evelynn_ sighed, softly whispering, "I just want someone to take care of you, and clearly, my alternate self isn't the most desirable candidate."

"Well, if you want me to experience a moment's pleasure from hers truly before I meet with death, then she'd be perfect." Akali jested with a bit of sarcasm, lips curving downward in mild distaste.

"A single night of pleasure won't satisfy you, trust me." _Evelynn_ jokingly quipped as an attempt to lighten the mood. "You have quite the stamina."

Akali slowly turned her head, peering up at _Evelynn_ , who met her gaze once it was focused on her. She looked more like a puppy trying to sparkle its eyes to acquire a sweet treat rather than an assassin being curious towards the diva's implication.

"Having trouble keeping up?"

_Evelynn_ breathily laughed, somehow glad that the Ionian was growing more comfortable with her. "Depends on the situation."

"How old are you again?" Akali asked, only to get a swat on the arm. "Ow!"

"Oh, if only you were _my_ Akali," _Evelynn_ uttered with an underlying tone, eyes playfully narrowing. "we'd probably be back at my car, doing something _very_ indecent."

"And what would...-" Akali pursed her lips, eyes widening when _Evelynn_ smirked at her. Although it wasn't as demonic-looking as the Agony's Embrace, but it did share a fair amount of mischief. "...Nevermind."

With a smug curve on her lips, _Evelynn_ returned her gaze to the scenery before them as she said, "Nice to know we're on the same page."

For what seemed to be another hour of the two of them doing nothing but exchanging light banter and admiring the scenery before them, Akali suddenly grew weary. She shook her head, holding it as the lightheaded feeling washed over her all of a sudden.

"Hey, _Evelynn_...?"

_Evelynn's_ face contorted concern, one hand of behind Akali just to make sure she doesn't fall back and off the branch. "Akali, are you alright? Darling?"

Akali shook her head, hissing when she felt as if she was being forced out of her body. "I... I think my time's up."

"What? But it hasn't even been five hours. You said you have twelve."

"I feel... I feel like I'm being pulled away."

"Akali..."

Shaking her head again, Akali turned to _Evelynn_ and chose to push back every inch of the bothersome feeling in order for her to focus on leaving her last thoughts to the singer with her.

"You told me... that you kissed me and took care of me... because you wanted me to feel something." Akali spoke between breaths, chest rising and falling as she tried her hardest to steady the pace of breathing. "Thank you..."

_Evelynn_ wore a despondent look as she brushed Akali's hair away from her face, wanting to gaze into her eyes without any obscurity as she said, "Everyone deserves a little love, darling. Including you."

"The Akali in this world... _Your_ Akali. She's lucky to have your heart."

"And I'm damn lucky to have hers." _Evelynn_ murmured. "And maybe a part of yours, I suppose."

Akali's eyes felt absolutely heavy and she was barely awake to feel _Evelynn_ brushing her fingers through her hair as they both stared at each other with faces inches away from one another.

"Goodbye, _Evelynn_."

_Evelynn_ was certainly not losing her beloved, but the feeling the moment gave her was eerily similar to such. She's in love and absolutely committed to the rapper of K/DA, but this alternate version of her seemed to have made a place in her heart as well.

Small it may be, she still left her mark.

Offering a small smile, _Evelynn_ gave Akali one last warm embrace. It was something the Ionian didn't hesitate in returning, despite the fact that her arms were feeling too heavy to lift. The softly whispered words that reached her ears were simple, yet it felt so much more than a delicate farewell.

"Goodbye, Akali. Take care of yourself. Please."

"I will..."

"Promise me."

"I... I promise."

Not at all breaking the embrace, _Evelynn_ stayed quiet and waited until her lover took an audible breath. Eyes that had slid close now fluttering open and azures darting around for a couple of times, confusion flashing within before she gently pushed _Evelynn_ back and stared back at her with a baffled face.

One of the diva's hands came up and caressed the rapper's cheek, smiling lovingly as she asked, "Are you back, darling?"

_Akali_ blinked at her mild confusion. "What happened? Did I just pass out? Weren't we at the exercise room? What the hell are we doing here at the park?"

"You don't remember anything?" _Evelynn_ asked, genuinely surprised. She tilted her head in wonder at _Akali's_ reactions as she waited for an answer.

The freestyler shook her head. "I don't. What happened anyway? Why are we here?"

This might be an opportunity to just keep everything to herself, but _Evelynn_ wasn't the type to keep secrets from her lover. If their relationship was going to be affected with what happened, then so be it. She was going to own up to what she had done and it was up to _Akali_ on how to react to it.

"It's a long story, darling." _Evelynn_ wore a guilty look as she idly rubbed her girlfriend's back to soothe her. "And it's a bit of a crazy one."

"It is?"

"Mm-hm."

"Well," _Akali_ rubbed the back of her neck, wincing when she felt the soreness of her body seep back in from earlier morning's incident. "the only story I'd think would be crazy is you kissing that ninja lookalike of mine."

"..."

Although that was supposed to be a joking quip, _Akali_ found herself groaning upon hearing nothing but _Evelynn's_ silence. She was only aiming to make a joke, not to be some sort of psychic.

"...Alright, okay, tell me everything. I want to know what part of her body I'm going to break the next time she comes back here."

"I don't think you'll be able to break any of her limbs, _Rogue_."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"Well," _Evelynn_ briefly gestured at her. "she used _your_ body to kiss me."

"Son of a bitch." _Akali_ groaned as she slapped a hand over her face. "Okay, start from the top."

"Alright. It started when you were sparring with the punching bag..."

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

Akali gasped as her eyes snapped open and she found herself strapped on Heimerdinger's contraption, gaze on the ceiling of the summoning chamber the whole test was being conducted in.

"Akali? Akali?" Vessaria's voice brought her out of her daze, the hands that laid over her right arm prompting her to turn to the High Councilor. "Are you alright?"

For a second, Akali could only stare at Vessaria. All she could think about were the memories she had recently made. It may not be with her own body, but she could still remember the feeling of the diva's lips on her forehead and the lingering sensation her embrace had inspired from her.

The meaning behind it, the emotion with every second that had passed, it all felt so _surreal_.

"Her vitals seem to be normal." Heimerdinger said, checking Akali's status through one of the monitors attached to the machinery.

"Is that it?" Akali spoke up once Vessaria removed the headpiece from her head and freed her from the straps that held her in place. She shook her head to try ridding herself of the distraction of the memories she recently made. "I thought it was going to be twelve hours."

"We thought about pushing through, but the High Councilor here was concerned that it might be too much of a risk for your mind and well-being if your consciousness were to remain in another's body for such a long span of time." Heimerdinger explained with a gesture to the mentioned woman.

"Are you nauseous?" Vessaria queried, inspecting Akali. "Ill maybe?"

"No, I... I'm fine." Akali reassured, leaving the slanted seat of the machine. "High Councilor, if you'll allow it, I would like to excuse myself from any League activities for the remainder of the day."

"Of course, of course. I'll see to it that you're unbothered in your quarters. Your cooperation and effort is much appreciated by the Institute."

"Just answer one thing for me, my dear." Heimerdinger spoke up, adjusting the goggles he was wearing as he looked up to her. "Did the transfer work without any complications?"

Akali looked right down to the Yordle before her, nodding. "Yes, it worked. Congratulations, the test was a success."

" _Eureka!_ " Heimerdinger shouted in victory, returning to the controls of the machine and typing on its keyboard to save all the data it made and acquired.

"See to it that she gets to her champion quarters safely." Vessaria said to the two guards she ushered over to escort Akali.

"Yes, High Councilor."

Even though Akali had just went through yet another bizarre experience, her emotions were warring inside her mind. A part of her was fulfilled and content, while the other was frustrated and felt cruelly teased by the encounter.

Halfway to the Ionian Wing of the champion dormitories, Akali dismissed her escorts, who all seemed to be reluctant with what she wanted. She knew she should've just went straight to her chambers and maybe even try to sleep everything off to ease herself once the guards left.

Instead, quiet footsteps filled the halls leading to the _Detention Center_. One request for visitation later, Akali was soon granted access to the same room she stood in around a month ago.

The room the magic-embedded window allowed her to view was still the same as it was, yet the demonic beauty was situated on her armchair and was looking right at her with a knowing smirk. It's as if she was already expecting Akali's abrupt visit.

What disturbed Akali here was that the demon was in her alternate's form, which she abandoned ever so slowly. Human skin slowly changing and fading into a whitish grey hue and magenta tresses shifting color until it was back to its flame-like style and chalky white shade.

"I heard you visited me." Evelynn spoke in a sultry manner, sounding more like she was seducing her with such simple words. "The weaker version of me, I mean."

Akali wanted to be surprise, but she wasn't. It was unclear how the demon even knew, especially since it was just so recent, yet her expression remained neutral.

Her eyes betrayed her though.

"So many emotions, yet so little time." Evelynn murmured, grinning wickedly to present the beastly teeth she possesses. "Eyes have, and will always be, the windows to a mortal's soul."

Her mind was screaming at her to retreat, while her survival instincts were going haywire. Despite the warnings her own mind and body gave her, Akali still approached the glass until she was much closer and had a much clearer view of the now fully transformed demon.

"Love is such a weakening emotion, is it not? I can hear your heart pounding in your ribs. Your emotions coursing through your body like how your warm, hot blood courses through your veins." Evelynn leisurely licked her teeth, smirking as she said, "The things I would do to paint you red with your sweet, sweet blood."

Akali slammed her fist against the glass, causing the siren to quirk an eyebrow at the physical reaction. "You have no heart. You're a monster. An abomination to this world. A worthless, bloodthirsty demon."

Evelynn leaned back, crossing her legs as she tilted her head and asked with an amused, vindictive smile on her pretty lips. "Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

"You...-"

"And did you really just come here to insult me? That's quite amusing of you."

"Shut up!"

"You're pathetic." Evelynn said with a scoff, standing up and approaching the window. She placed a hand on the glass and made sure she looked directly in Akali's eyes as she said, "As pathetic as yours and my alternate self. Capture her attention, her heart, her lips, yet where did it lead you, hmm?"

Akali stepped back, staring back with her voice absent and her body entirely rigid.

"Nowhere and no one," Evelynn flashed an intoxicating smile, finishing with, "but to me."

"You'll never be like her! You're _not_ her!" Akali snapped, wanting to just lunge and shove her kunai in the chest of the murderous demon. "Tempt me all you want, take whatever form you think will sway my resolve, but it will _never_ happen."

Seemingly unaffected with the outburst, Evelynn coolly stared back at her. "Is that so? You're honestly not so different from your counterpart, little rogue. What makes you think I am?"

"You're a demon. A demon that wants nothing but bloodshed."

"Say what you will, but indeed I'll tempt you. I'll be what you desire, because I know I am. I'll _test_ that so called resolve of yours, because I know it'll crumble underneath my sweet, poisonous lips. Do you know why, hmm?"

Akali grunted, beginning to step back, only to halt when Evelynn's words stunned her into silence.

"Because we're all parallel in mind,"

She wanted to shake her head in denial, regretting she came here initially. Run away and try to forget this conversation even happened, yet the voice of the siren was enough to root her in place.

"and your body finding its way back to me is _inevitable_."

So many words to say, so many feelings to express, but Akali was only able to utter a quiet query that still seemed to echo in the room.

"...Why do you torment me?"

Evelynn had weaved her charm into a figurative web, and here was her prey, walking straight into it, prepared to be wrapped by her deadly lashers.

"Pain is pleasure, and pleasure is pain. It's just that simple."

"No... It's only to you."

"Oh no, it's not _just_ me. It is to _us_ , and you know it."

The moment Akali's hands clenched into fists, she turned away and finally walked out, leaving Evelynn to watch her retreat with her mind filled with so many thoughts that'll surely clash with one another.

Akali does, in fact, know it, and that was why she left.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Huh, would you look at that? I actually finished this thing. I actually find it a bit hilarious how some of you even messaged me if I was just trolling you guys when I posted a sneak peek of this in Twitter during April 1st (in some countries) ^^"
> 
> Jokes on all of you though, cuz it was April 2 here in the Philippines by the time I did post it. :P
> 
> And wow, yeah, Akali's the one hurting this time. Only readers of "God is a Woman" can relate to this. XD
> 
> Anyway, like the first part, I'm not sure if I'll add more to this story. I mean, this one was not exactly planned, so we'll see, yeah? Maybe if I see another fanart that somehow relates to this, then it might inspire me again to further write a continuation of this. :3
> 
> Hope you liked this one though! ^^
> 
> In other matters, I hope all of you are doing fine! Stay safe, keep yourself squeaky clean and stay inside as much possible! Love you, my peeps~ ^3^


	3. Parallel at Heart

**Parallel at Heart** _(Continuation to "_ _ **Parallel in Mind**_ _")_

Having an actual Void creature attached to your own body and possessing a symbiotic relationship with said creature was certainly not something to laugh about or even belittle in any sorts of situation.

When Kai'Sa's village collapsed and was wholly swallowed by the Void, her entire life was turned upside down. Adapting to a life in such ghastly place was not something a human like her should be capable of doing, yet here she was, a living proof of the impossible.

All thanks to the sheer perseverance, will and the creature she's bonded with.

Although it the latter does not harm her in any way, it does have a tendency in overriding her humanity, driving her emotions in spiraling out of control.

It's not that she has a temper issue or anything like that, but her problems with her emotions is that she doesn't know how to cope with it. She's been living in the Void for more than ten years with nothing and no one but dozens of voidlings either coming at her or cowering from her.

Emotions are not needed in the Void.

Yet now she was curled up in the cave found in between the borders of Shurina and the outskirts of the Void itself, hand running through her hair as she took in deep breaths as an attempt to calm herself.

The flame of her stone campfire flickered before her eyes, the shadows around her looking more ominous due to the shell of the Void carapace connected to her back.

Although it's been more than a month, but Kai'Sa still found herself thinking back to her alternate self and the life the latter had in that universe they had visited. Unlike her, who made a dark, gloomy cave her home, the Kai'Sa in that dimension lived in a prestige, modern and more comfortable abode. Both venues were complete opposites.

At first, she tried thinking about the qualities that made her counterpart so likeable. Not only do their years of living differentiated them both from one another, but their physical state was what _truly_ contrasted.

Everything that had happened in the village she lived in when she was a child, Kai'Sa always ended up to the point where she blamed herself. Her counterpart doesn't have this heavy of a burden in her mind. A tragic matter that keeps her up late at nights and prevents her from finding a peaceful state of slumber.

It took a long, long while before Kai'Sa managed to recall her memories. To remember everything that had happened, and whenever she did, it made her so _furious_ with herself.

That's why her dimensional twin has a much better life.

The Kai'Sa in _that_ universe has no creature attached to her back, and she is no murderer.

It was never Kai'Sa's intention in dooming her village, but she felt that she has no right in claiming to be innocent either. Ghosts of the terrified screams from that very day echoed in her head and it's what always triggered her.

But now, what made her snap was how she even thought for a moment that the Runeterra version of her counterpart's lover would ever view her differently.

Of course the Blade Mistress would see her as the so called _'Voidling'_ that she has somehow become.

And that's what drove her emotions in the deep, dark end.

What right does Sivir have to judge her for her what she is? To tell her that she is _just_ a Voidling? Nothing more but such? It was infuriating.

Growling under her breath, Kai'Sa shot off the ground and rushed out of her cave as if the vicinity was blazing in a wildfire. She could feel her grasp on her sane train of thought slipping, rapidly being consumed by the primal instinct the symbiote had nourished throughout the years.

The symbiote's mask gradually enveloped her face and the moment it covered her head entirely, a deep snarl rumbled underneath its surface before she broke into a blinding sprint towards the direction of the Void.

She needed to wreak havoc somewhere. To unleash her rage and flush out the animalistic desire from her system and sate its thirst for destruction.

And what better place she could do such but at the Void?

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

The audible steps of the horse's hooves on the dirt and the rattle of her expedition supplies attached to the saddle was the only thing Sivir could hear as she made her way down the path no Shuriman, wise or foolish, has ever thought about traversing further at.

Wondering where she's headed off to?

This certain journey of hers was only planned and set in motion around three and a half weeks ago. For a week, she's been rather _stuck_ on something. Particularly on _someone_.

Sivir might not be the most social in the Institute of War, but she's no introvert either. She has a habit in making connections here and there, ones that'll benefit her mainly.

Recently, she couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she had with the Daughter of the Void. The mentioned champion wasn't just an ordinary contender in the Fields of Justice, and the discussion they had wasn't the most normal either.

How could she just brush it off? The woman _did_ ask about the possibility of the two of them actually becoming a couple. It was absolutely sudden and unexpected, and not to mention really weird.

But, like a fool tempted with the image of a pot of gold, Sivir's curiosity was piqued.

In this case, she wanted to know more and now, she was making her way to the Void, because apparently, Kai'Sa wasn't at the Institute. Believe her, she asked the High Councilor herself. From what Vessaria had told her, Kai'Sa left the Institute a few days ago, so she just missed her by that much.

And now, that completely explains why Sivir is journeying to the Void, or at least to the outskirts of it, to try and find the woman she had been rude and an absolute ass to.

"This is such a waste of time." Sivir muttered to herself, shaking her head. "Ugh, then why am I even going here? Oh right, curiosity."

Great, she was talking to herself and using the same excuse Kai'Sa was saying when they last spoke to one another.

Her trip sure was progressing real well.

A couple more hours of traveling later, Sivir found a cave close enough to her destination for her to finally take a break and set up camp for the night.

She tied her horse to one of the rocks at the entrance before she proceeded into the shadow-cloaked cavern, sighing in relief when she found no enemy.

But, what she did find was a stone firepit and a makeshift chest that contained a knife that looked _quite_ valuable.

Sivir had just tucked the blade at the side of her belt when she suddenly heard the loud neighs and terrified whines of her mount, which became mute after the audible sound of bones cracking echoed in the cave. She spun around to face the entrance of the cave, her weapon poised and ready to be thrown at the first possible enemy that dares come at her.

All her eyes could see was nothing but a part of her horse's tail. Judging from the lack of noise, the animal was dead, and whoever it was that killed it, Sivir was certain she's the next target.

Dark and vibrant blue eyes glimmered in the shadows of the cave as they roamed the entrance, the owners of said orbs inching forward with the intention to decapitate her would-be assailant.

.....

.....

.....

Sivir gasped when a small yet glowing purple beam shot at her. Thankfully, it wasn't exactly aimed to kill her. No, it was an attempt to disarm her, and unfortunately for her, it succeeded.

The _Chalicar_ rolled out of her reach the second the blast threw her back and off her feet. While her weapon ended up more than just an arm's length away from her, she landed on her back on the dirt, eyes blinking up at the rocky ceiling of the cavern while her head swam with the brief touch of dizziness.

A vicious hiss echoed throughout the cave, but Sivir only managed to push herself up enough to assume a seated position before she found herself coming off as a prey being cornered by the predator that now hovered right in front of her.

Little by little, she moved back, inching away from the glowing violet eyes staring back at her with a menacing glare. She thought about withdrawing another weapon, specifically the knife she had found, but realization soon struck her once she recognized who her attacker is.

The human skin was barely visible. Even though her mask was retracted, Kai'Sa's skin possessed a purplish tint that made her look more like a Voidling that turned into a human rather than the other way around.

Teeth half-bared and looking more beast-like, Kai'Sa was still under the influence of her primal instincts, which prompted her to fail in identifying the unexpected trespasser.

"Kai'Sa..." Sivir uttered her name in a whisper, beads of sweat visibly forming on her forehead as she nervously stared back at the still glowing eyes that reminded her of the horrifying tales she heard about the very core of the Void.

A throaty snarl was what she got in return, dark purple claw-like nails hovering just beside her head, ready to tear her face off her skull and pierce through her skin to draw blood.

Sivir swallowed audibly, especially when her back quietly collided against the stone wall of the cave. She was cornered. "It's me... It's Sivir."

A chilling growl reached her ears this time, causing her to stiffen for a moment. The fact that Kai'Sa hasn't scratched her face yet meant that her words seemed to be getting through, even if it's a little bit.

No matter how much she tried, her hand just wouldn't stop trembling when she slowly reached forward to touch Kai'Sa's cheek. There was the possibility of her fingers being bitten off, but this was a gamble she's willing to make.

.....!

Sivir jumped when Kai'Sa abruptly grabbed her wrist in a nearly bruising grip, left hand threatening to break it while her head lowered, eyes zeroing in on the knife she had acquired just a couple of minutes ago in the very cave they're in.

"Mine..." Came a huskily-uttered claim, free hand swiping the small weapon from the mercenary's belt.

Kai'Sa released her and pulled back, turning away and clutching her head with one of her hands. Threatening growls and unsettling snarls continued emitting from the half-human, the Void carapace on her back leisurely lowering from its raised position. It was calming down, like her.

Sivir slowly stood up, eyes glancing at her crossblade at the side. It was still too far and if she were to make a move for it, Kai'Sa would either hear or see her through her peripherals. Knowing what the other is capable of, she settled in making a much neutral and safer move.

"Is this your cave?" Sivir asked, maintaining her cautious stance.

Visibly, Kai'Sa straightened her posture, while her grip on her knife loosened and tightened every second or two. "What are you doing here?"

Sivir sighed in relief. She may not be out of the woods entirely yet, but at least she wasn't going to be growled at and threatened to have herself be littered by deep and deadly scratches.

"I wanted to speak with you."

"How did you know I live here?"

That sparked some surprise from the mercenary. "Wait, you live here? In _this_ cave?"

Instead of answering, Kai'Sa exhaled through her nose before she made her way to the chest at the side and stored her knife back inside. Sivir watched her, looking more than a little uneasy when she took the _Chalicar_ from its place on the dirt.

Posture rigid and lips pursed evidently, Sivir could do nothing but stand there and stare as Kai'Sa approach her, holding herself back from harshly snatching the jeweled crossblade once it was handed to her.

"Out." Kai'Sa said in a low snarl before turning around and heading to the firepit.

Grabbing a few of the firewood at the side, Kai'Sa tossed them into the pit before her right hand glowed with its violet hue. With a single shot, the pieces of wood were suddenly aflame and its orange glow was instantly illuminating the once dark cave.

Not only was traveling at night dangerous around these parts, but Sivir also knew she has no mount to ride back to Shurima. She knows she's perfectly capable for combat, but there'd be high chances of being overwhelmed by dozens of enemies throughout her journey.

Alright, Kai'Sa may have told her that she should go, but she said _nothing_ about staying at least around the entrance. She still fully intended to talk to her, for she was certainly not wasting her trip for nothing.

Sivir exited the cave, sighing when she found her horse lying on the earth, lifeless. Judging from how its neck looked rather awkward with its bent state, she's pretty sure Kai'Sa had broken it. Taking the sleeping roll and the pack strapped to the saddle, she started setting up a place she could stay at for the night.

Her bag and _Chalicar_ had literally just touched the ground and she was in the middle of untying the strap of her roll when she felt a presence behind her. Mat in hand, Sivir turned and found herself facing Kai'Sa, who stood a small distance away from her and was eyeing her with an unreadable look.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't exactly travel back without a horse." Sivir said, gesturing at the dead animal. "And, I _still_ want to talk to you about something."

"What could you possibly want to talk about with a Voidling like me?"

Sivir held back a flinch. "...Alright, I admit, I was _insensitive_ and was pretty much an asshole to you the last time we...-"

"Did you just compare yourself to an anus?"

"I, uh, what?" Sivir stumbled with her words for a moment, blinking back at Kai'Sa. In all interrupting responses, that was the least thing she expected to hear. Shaking her head, she tried again by saying, "Listen. I just want to talk, okay? I'm not here for a fight."

Their little staring contest lasted for a minute or two before Kai'Sa spun around and started walking back to the fire she lit. But, what somewhat surprised Sivir was the fact that she was invited to come back inside.

"It's dangerous out here during evenings."

Indirect may the invitation be, Sivir wasn't going to be picky now. She grabbed her possessions and trailed after her fellow champion, settling at the other side of the firepit and right across Kai'Sa herself, who was seated back on the ground.

Sivir occupied herself by laying out her sleeping roll first, plopping herself on top of it before she withdrew a small net from her bag, which contained a couple of apples and peaches she bought from the market. Unsheathing a little knife from the back of her belt, she raised an apple she took from the bunch as she turned to her current host.

"Want some?" Sivir asked, waving the red fruit at her.

Kai'Sa stared intently at the produce before her eyes lowered and focused on one of the peaches. "I want that one."

"Peaches?"

Wordlessly, Kai'Sa nodded.

"Okay...?" Sivir returned the apple and exchanged it with a peach, which she started slicing on her palm. She briefly recalled how Kai'Sa also seemed to be fond of this particular fruit during their first conversation. "You have a strong liking to peaches, don't you?"

"They are my favorite."

"Seriously?" Sivir finished slicing, reaching around the flame in the pit to offer the peach slices.

Her one-word question remained unanswered, for Kai'Sa was already busy nibbling on the single peach slice she had taken. Sivir initially expected the other to take it all, but since the latter only took one, she retracted her hand and settled on taking one for herself and popping the entire slice in her mouth.

"Do you not savour it?" Kai'Sa asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"What, the peaches?"

Again, Kai'Sa nodded.

"I have more here anyway." Sivir said, glancing at her pack of fruits.

"Still..." Kai'Sa trailed off in a murmur, focusing back to nibbling on her slice almost like how a hamster would eat their food pellet.

Sivir waited until she offered Kai'Sa her second peach slice before she finally brought up why she was even there in the first place. This seems to be a good time to begin with their talk, after all.

Shifting from her place at the bed roll, she started with, "Last time we spoke to one another, you claimed that you and some other champions traversed to a different dimension, correct?"

"Yes."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I understand it right, then in that world, you and I are _involved_ with one another?"

"I had the opportunity to briefly speak with your counterpart during my stay in that universe. She claimed that my alternate self was her _'girlfriend'_ , a label equivalent to _'lover'_." Kai'Sa explained, recalling her conversation with the Blade Mistress' dimensional twin.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Is that not what you've been doing?"

"No, this one's more... serious."

Kai'Sa then eyed her, an expectant look in her amethyst eyes. There was no outright reply, but that gaze alone was enough to give Sivir the push to ask away.

"What you saw in that world, is that what you desire? What you want?"

Sivir is as clueless as she could get when it comes to the experience the four went through when they traveled to another dimension, but that didn't mean she'd ignore its effect towards Kai'Sa, who's unexpectedly connected to her in the aforementioned world.

This entire predicament reminded her of the time when Azir had resurrected himself and claimed that she's part of the royal family of the Great Empire of Shurima.

Fate sure had a way of making her life eventful.

"I just want to be human again." Kai'Sa uttered in a quiet murmur. For the first time since they met, Sivir saw an emotional expression on the face of the Daughter of the Void.

Regret, dejection and depression showed in her gaze as she stared at the fire, eyes turning glassy and looking as if it was just a blink away from shattering into clear drops of sorrow.

"You said it yourself. I'm a Voidling. The world has moved on and I've changed. For better or for worse, it's clear." Kai'Sa's gaze trailed to the side and towards the chest that contained her knife. "I'm a monster."

Upon hearing such, Sivir averted her own stare, while guilt seeped in and made her heart clench. She had callously referred to Kai'Sa as a Voidling, not at all thinking if it was the most offensive thing she could say or not.

Yes, she was _massively_ insensitive. Since when did this bother her though? Now? Why?

She didn't grow up in the Void, but she has learned throughout her life that emotions are just weapons that can be used against her, especially since she lives the risk-filled life of a mercenary, where she makes allies and enemies left and right.

Comforting someone isn't something she'd say she has any skill in, so she was internally shocked at herself when she stood up and went around the firepit. She kneeled beside Kai'Sa, prompting the latter to turn and face her with a half-confused look.

Instead of saying anything though, Sivir reached for Kai'Sa's face and pressed her thumbs at the corners of the other's lips. Although the action was unexpected, Kai'Sa was somewhat forced to open her mouth, especially since Sivir seemed to be determined in seeing her teeth.

"A monster has teeth similar to a beast's own." Sivir began before she released Kai'Sa and moved some of her hair away from her face. "A monster can never shed any tears."

Once she said that, she wiped away a lone tear that fell from one of Kai'Sa's eyes.

"A monster doesn't have a heart." Kai'Sa momentarily stilled when Sivir placed a palm against her chest, feeling the firm beating of the heart within her. "You're not a monster. I've seen people look human, yet how they act, how they move, how they speak, they make it seem as if a Voidling is more human than them."

"What...?"

"I was wrong, alright? You're not the monster that you think you are. You're more human than some of the ones I've met in my life." Sivir cupped Kai'Sa's face in her hands as she said, "Don't let anyone, even me, tell you otherwise. You're human, so there's no need for you to wish in being one."

.....

.....

.....

Sivir froze for a second, relaxing when she realized that Kai'Sa merely placed a hand over one of her own. Once she saw and felt her nod, she pulled her hands away, noticing the feeling of Kai'Sa's fingertips grazing against her forehand. They were admittedly soft.

The violet layer and its thin claws seemed to have retracted, which unveiled her human hands. They've always been obscured by the Void carapace to prevent herself from being harmed by Void creatures.

"Thank you."

This time, Sivir took a turn in mutely nodding before she eventually returned to her place across the fire. She thought about how her enemies might target Kai'Sa if they were to find out about this whole moment they were having, but then she remembered how Kai'Sa can easily pulverize them if she wanted to.

Kai'Sa is no damsel in distress. She's far from that, yet, as Sivir once again offered a slice of peach to the woman, she couldn't help but think the mentioned champion is more of a child forced to grow up in order to survive.

"Your hand feels warm." Kai'Sa murmured, taking a small bite from the peach slice she was just given.

Sivir snapped her head upward, eyes blinking owlishly. "My hands? Uh, thanks, I guess."

Taking compliments that doesn't involve her combat skills isn't something she's used to, so she was out of her element when it came down to it.

A fairly long moment of silence passed with them both just sharing the peaches Sivir had bought supposedly for herself, the two of them sneaking glances at one another from time to time.

Well, _Sivir_ was the one who's mostly _sneaking_ them. Kai'Sa was just _blatantly_ looking at her, and even when Sivir would meet her gaze, she was never flustered for being caught staring. It was always the mercenary who breaks the eye contact first.

Every time she did take a moment to observe, the point Sivir had mentally made a month ago gathered more leverage. Was it her or did the flame gave Kai'Sa a much appealing effect?

Well, if Kai'Sa can bluntly voice her thoughts out, then Sivir thought she should also be capable of such.

"You have a beautiful face." Sivir said, relieved she didn't stutter or stumble verbally. "Even with those markings on your face, you look very... attractive."

"Thank you." Kai'Sa thanked, inspecting Sivir for a moment before she said, "You have a very muscular build. It's a vastly appealing feature of yours."

"Ah, well, thanks?" Sivir returned, refusing to admit that the warmth in her face was a blush. She feigned a cough, thinking, _'Does that mean she finds my muscles attractive? That's a first.'_

A lot of men _and_ women had told her she's far too _masculine_ to be deemed as a likeable lady, so she was used to always hearing a couple of negative comments about her physique.

How can Kai'Sa even say something so openly without even showing a hint of a blush? It poked at Sivir's curiosity.

"Don't you _ever_ get embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed?"

"When you compliment people like that, don't you get embarrassed? Or even feel shy how you just pointed out something about them?"

"Why would I be?" Kai'Sa seemed to be genuinely confused. "I'm just voicing out my observation."

"So you think my body's great? Is that it?" Sivir wasn't asking for a confirmation. No, she was using this question in particular to _make a point_. To try and show Kai'Sa that it'd be embarrassing to agree to her question.

Of course she should've expected the opposite.

"Yes, your body is ravishing."

The expression of disbelief on her face was then colored with an evident shade of red, clearly not expecting the said word to be used to refer to her physical appearance. The way the shadows of the cave somewhat concealed her flushed cheeks sure was a welcomed help. She blinked back at Kai'Sa, unable to form a proper response to the blatant answer she received.

"How...? How do you _even_ know _that_ word if you've lived in the Void for so long?" It was the only thing Sivir could think of saying. She still couldn't think of anything else to say in return to the earlier statement she was given.

"My vocabulary was immensely limited before I joined the _League of Legends_. High Councilor Kolminye asked a scholar to tutor me during my first month at the Institute. If it weren't for the man that educated me, I would not be able to understand most of the universal language we use."

"Yet you don't know what _'asshole'_ means?"

"From what I've studied, that merely refers to the opening at the rear end of a human and animal." Kai'Sa then wore a look of interest. "Is there something more to it?"

Sivir wanted to give herself a facepalm. She was right. Kai'Sa may look and is capable of fighting and participating even in the most perilous combat, but she still had a part of herself that can match the innocence of an actual child.

No way was Sivir going to teach her how to cuss.

"Nevermind. Just, just remember, alright? If somebody calls you an asshole, _vaporize_ _them_. Or jackass, or anything that relates to the word _'ass'_ , understood?"

"Is it considered an insult?" Kai'Sa queried with a serious look.

"It is, yes."

"Ah." Kai'Sa chewed the remaining piece of peach she had in hand, swallowing before she brought up, "Then does that mean you insulted yourself earlier?"

Sivir sighed. "Yes, that's exactly what I did."

This was going to be a long night, and quite possibly, the most unusual evening she'll ever spend with someone. Although, there's a part of her that was denying the blatant fact that she's actually enjoying herself.

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

**(** _Italicized names_ **refer to characters in the K/DA universe)**

In the _K/DA universe_...

The couple suppressed a snicker to themselves as they looked over their shoulders and watched their fathers work together in setting the tents up. The camping trip was originally set up by _Kassadin_ and _Azir_ , both of the men wanting to spend some family time with their daughters and maybe increase their familial bond with one another.

_Kassadin_ had already finished his and _Azir's_ tent, which left the huge tent _Kai'Sa_ and _Sivir_ will be sharing for tonight.

"It says here you need to connect this part to the end." Azir said, squinting his eyes as he read the instructions over and over again.

"It's too far. Are you sure it goes here?" Kassadin asked, looking over his shoulder and from his place at the dirt.

"Yes, I'm sure!" _Azir_ then released a loud groan. "This is the reason why I said that we should've just brought a trailer. One for us fathers and one for our daughters."

_Kassadin_ scoffed. "Trailers? How is that camping? Might as well have brought your entire house here."

"If we had trailers, we wouldn't be going through the struggle of setting up this tent!"

"Let me see the instructions."

"Are you even listening to me? _Kassadin_ , just because your daughter is dating mine and we aren't at work doesn't mean I'm not your boss anymore."

"Don't go technical on me now. Just give me the damn paper, so I can set up our daughters' tent."

Again, the two young women seated on the mat near the edge of the lake giggled to themselves, returning their gaze to the water before them, which reflected the darkening sky above them.

They did offer earlier to set up their own tent, but their parents so valiantly volunteered to do it. The duo shooed them both away, thrusting a mat in _Sivir's_ arms before pushing them towards the direction of the lake.

"They'll figure that out, eventually." _Sivir_ dismissively said, knowing quite well that the stubborn side of hers and her father's would surely clash for a couple more minutes before they actually have some progress with their task.

"For our sake, hopefully." _Kai'Sa_ said with a chuckle. "Or else we'll be sleeping out here on the cold."

"And who says you're going to be cold?" _Sivir_ gave her a little wink as she gave her hand a squeeze. "I'll be right here to warm you up, Bun-buns."

_Kai'Sa_ smiled, leaning her head on _Sivir's_ shoulders as they watched the sunset while tuning out the bickering of their fathers. They both let a fair moment pass before the dancer between them broke the comfortable silence.

"Hey, _liefie_?"

"Hmm?"

"Remember what happened last month?"

"You mean the out of the blue visit from your weird twin?"

"Yeah, that."

"What about it?"

"Do you think she has her own Sivir?" _Kai'Sa_ asked in a soft murmur, eyes peering at her girlfriend. "She didn't seem to be as talkative and energetic as me, and... I feel a bit sad for her if she doesn't have anyone to make her smile. Throughout her stay with us at the penthouse, she never cracked even a little grin or something. Not even a smirk."

"You think she isn't happy?"

"I _hope_ she is. Everyone deserves to be."

"That's my girlfriend." _Sivir_ said to herself, chuckling as she gave _Kai'Sa_ a kiss on the temple. "Worrying about others more than they worry about themselves."

"Hey, aren't you even curious at least? If you and I still found each other in a different world?"

_Sivir_ thought for a moment before lightly shrugging, laying her head against Kai'Sa's. "I guess I'm a _little_ curious. This world or not, I'm just happy _I_ have you. And, okay, I guess it'd be sweet if you and I still end up together in a different universe. That's like fate telling us that we really do belong together."

"That'd be amazing, wouldn't it?"

"Mm-hm, you said it."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This was inspired by one of the works of @ichirototosaki from Twitter! Not only that, but a lot of you have been requesting a continuation of the League Sivir x Kai'Sa, so here it is!
> 
> I don't really know where this whole Parallel series is leading to, but meh, we'll see in the future. I'm just winging it, honestly. ^^"
> 
> Anyway, stay safe, everyone! Till my next update~


	4. Parallel in Agony

**Parallel in Agony** _(Continuation to_ _ **"Parallel in Mind"**_ _or_ _ **"Parallel at Heart"**_ _)_

**(** _Italicized names_ **refer to characters originally from the K/DA universe** )

The whole predicament was confusing.

Akali just opened her eyes and next thing she knew, she found herself relaxing on a beach chair, wearing a pair of what seemed to be swimming shorts and an open and plain white mesh blouse over a dark blue bikini top.

The sight before her was absolutely foreign, and no matter where she looked, not a single part of her surroundings sparked any familiarity to her. She wanted to furrow her eyebrows, but all she could do in her dream was watch and let her dream self control everything.

The sound of water splashing reached her ears and when the eyes she was left to settle in merely following directed themselves to the ocean ahead, she spotted an all too familiar woman resurfacing and shaking the aqua away from her magenta hair.

Akali felt like she would've sucked in a breath at the sight, but her dream self merely smiled and waited as the gorgeous woman jogged towards her and eventually perched right beside her.

"Aren't you going out for a swim with me?"

It was _Evelynn_. Yes, the same Evelynn that's known as the diva of the famous pop group in the alternate dimension.

The dream version of Akali reached across her and gave her arm a light caress as she said, "I'm fine. Just wanna relax here, y'know? Got a lot on my mind."

A frown shaped the other's lips. Even though there was a gleam of understanding in her amber orbs, _Evelynn_ looked like she was deeply concerned for her.

"Is it the nightmares?"

A shrug. "It'll pass. Pretty sure it's not gonna last too long."

_Evelynn_ smiled. The optimism was more than a little reassuring and it was enough for her to relax. "I hate seeing those bags under your eyes, darling. You look so... drained."

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Alright, darling. I trust you."

Just when _Evelynn_ inched forward and was about to instigate a kiss...

Akali abruptly jolted out of her sleep, head immediately looking around her new surroundings, which was a forest found somewhere at the outskirts of a village in Ionia.

When the ninja ultimately realized that what she just saw was a mere dream, a quiet groan left her. She tugged her mask off, rubbing a hand over her face and shaking her head in frustration.

Almost five solid days have passed ever since she left the Institute of War. She had requested a leave of absence from the League from the High Councilor herself, saying that she wanted a small break after going through the whole mind-testing.

Truth be told, she felt physically fine after the whole consciousness-swap. The only side effect she seemed to have noticed from it is that she's been having dreams of moments spent with the Evelynn in the alternate world.

Moments she has never seen until the very second she finds herself dreaming of it.

Not only were the dreams making it difficult for her to forget about her attraction towards the diva, but the conversation she had with the Runeterra version was also haunting her.

It's the main reason why she took a break from the League. She wanted space and to erase any possibilities in crossing paths with the vixen that's obviously out to hunt her body _and_ soul.

Sitting on the branch of a tree she had chosen, Akali looked around and idly observed the rustling of the leaves and the distant sounds of animals moving along and water calmly flowing. It was such a peaceful day, yet her mind was close to being considered a chaotic mess.

"I need to forget about her!" Akali growled to herself, shaking her head as a futile attempt in erasing the image of _Evelynn's_ smile.

"Can I ask who, little one?"

Regardless of the voice being sudden, Akali didn't jump, nor react in any sort of way that showed surprise. In fact, she just shifted on her branch and turned to the speaker, who turned out to be none other than the Heart of the Tempest. Only the latter referred to her with that nickname.

"What're you doing here, Kennen?" Akali asked in mutter. "If you're here to try and convince me to come back, I suggest you don't. I'm not in the mood for it."

Kennen merely shook his head, making himself comfortable beside her. "I just want to talk. It seems like you need it."

Akali sighed. "I honestly _don't_ want to talk about what's on my mind. I want to forget."

"I still have a couple of minutes to spare before I go on with my day's tasks." Kennen said, coolly disregarding Akali's dismissive answer. "Begin whenever you're ready."

The rogue Ionian wanted to give out another sigh, but when she turned to look at the Yordle with her, she found herself scratching the back of her head in exasperation. Clearly, Kennen knew she _needed_ someone to talk to, and who else could she trust with these feelings of hers but someone that had taught her so much throughout the years growing up.

"Have you ever had feelings for someone to the point that even though you know they're not the same person you want, you still can't get rid of what you feel for them?"

Kennen's eyebrows knitted together in mild confusion. "Is this about your mother?"

Akali scoffed at that. "Definitely not."

"Kayn, then?"

"No, I can't really get past the whole eye thing he has going on for him."

"Then who?" Kennen then gave her a light nudge with his fist. "Has your adventures in Ionia led you to someone that's captured your heart?"

"I kind of wish it's like that." Akali sighed once again. "I wish it was _that_ simple."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm attracted to a demon, Kennen." Akali finally admitted, refocusing her gaze back to her company. "I'm sure you've heard of her. Agony's Embrace?"

At the mention of the vixen's name, Kennen's eyes flashed with suppressed yet still evident horror. He was obviously not expecting the succubus to be the one that would catch the eye of Mayym's daughter. And of course he didn't expect Evelynn to suddenly appear as a threat in this type of circumstance.

Kennen shifted from his place, trying to conjure up a reply that would sound reasonable. "Did she provide you any tempting offers? She's known to give such things."

"You wouldn't know half of it." Akali muttered before shaking her head again. She hopped off the branch and landed on the dirt, and as expected, Kennen followed after her. She dusted herself as she said, "I'm going. I don't want to talk about this. It's all too confusing, even for me, so I don't expect you to give me any advice about this."

Although Kennen knew Akali had a point with that statement of hers, he could only watch her walk away for a moment before he actually managed to give a reply. A reply that he had to call out to her just for it to be heard.

"Wherever fate leads you, Akali, follow your heart." He said in a certain tone. "Think with your head and act on your heart's desire. That's the only advice I can give you."

"...Thanks." Akali thanked after a moment of silence, waving a hand over her shoulder as she proceeded to walk away. "Say hi to the old man for me."

The only sound Akali could register in her mind was the crunching of the grass and fallen leaves as she traversed through the woods on foot. She thought about heading off to the nearby village, but she decided against it.

Seeking solitude is a habit she's been encouraging lately and it further showed how determined she is in living up to her title as the Rogue Assassin.

As an assassin with no one's rules but hers to follow, she knew forming any sort of attachments to others is a high risk for both parties involved, so she always settled with the lone wolf approach.

Although it was lonely, she sure felt like her dreams were keeping her company. She may want to forget about _Evelynn_ to try and move on from the feelings she developed, but a huge part of her welcomed the unexpected visions in her sleep.

It made her feel less alone.

Even though each and every dream isn't something she'll be involved in personally, Akali was still thankful to see it. The whole thing felt like she was being accompanied by the woman herself, and it made her travels for the past few days more than just bearable.

Akali absently fiddled with the kunai pendant around her neck, a habit she developed. Throughout the years growing up, she was always yearning for her mother's love and attention. Even when she felt the touch of sorrow and a part of herself prompted her to miss her mother's presence, Akali always kept quiet and would just purse her lips in return.

Now, she didn't want to know if her mother misses her.

She didn't want to know if Faey has forgiven her for what happened to her leg.

She didn't want to know if the Kinkou is much better off without her.

All Akali _needed_ to know in that very moment is that if Evelynn, the one in her world, could ever change.

It was nightfall when she came to a stop and crafted a campfire for herself. She sat on the dirt and stared at the small flame of the makeshift firepit she created, remembering the amber eyes of the demon's counterpart.

The kunai pendant wasn't around her neck anymore. She had it in her right hand, the pad of her thumb brushing over the tiny kunai as she refocused her gaze onto it. The little thing felt so big in her hands when she was little. Times surely have changed.

"Does a demon have a heart?" Akali asked in a quiet murmur, holding a conversation she knew no one but herself would answer back. She scoffed and shook her head. "The strings of fate connects me to you, Evelynn. I don't know if I want to cut it off, or hold onto it till the end."

Releasing a breath, Akali chose to lay herself down and on the earth, eyes now gazing up at the night sky decorated with twinkling stars. It was not such, but Akali sure felt like they were the audience to this monologue she was having.

Her heart always seemed to ache when she thought about her last conversation with the demonic beauty's dimensional twin. Two tears, one from each eye and drops that followed yet she remained unaware of, fell.

"Why did you have to give me something I've never had?"

The wind blew and Akali's eyes fluttered close. The fire went out, but it wasn't because of the breeze. The ninja remained on her back though, guard completely down and the small noises around her muting into silence.

Air suddenly became a difficulty for her to take in. Something was beginning to wrap around her throat and her body, slowly preventing her from thrashing or even putting up a fight. Teeth clenching and hands turning into fists, Akali gave a ragged breath as she opened her eyes and abruptly threw herself to the side to try in vanquishing the constricting feeling.

The rustles and crunches of leaves and grass filled her ears as she started to uselessly fight against the shadowy snakes that held her before she could even get a glimpse of a chance to actually escape.

Gold, slit-like eyes perfectly fitting for the demon that held her gazed into her own brown orbs, a smirk seemingly made out of pure sin flashing at her as satanic claws scraped at her shoulders.

"It seems to me the so called strings of fate are choking you, love."

"Y-You..."

Evelynn, the demon she's been comparing the diva to, widened her smirk. "Yes, me. Did you really think after all those times I've taunted and teased you was all for naught and entertainment?"

Her right arm strained against the lasher, her muscles flexing as she forced herself to withdraw it from her side. When it did succeed though, her hand swiped a kunai from her pouch and swung at the demon's face.

Calmly, Evelynn leaned back, letting the tip of the blade graze her skin and land a cut on her cheek. Instead of acting on the sting of pain she felt upon the scratch, she merely smiled and slapped the weapon away from Akali's clutches.

Once she was disarmed, Akali's hand shot towards Evelynn's throat to try and choke her. Evelynn stayed on her straddling position though, grinning when she felt Akali's fingers twitch around her neck.

The ninja wasn't able to apply that much pressure. Her mind was focusing more on keeping her lungs stocked with minimal oxygen as the lasher around her own neck continued to squeeze her in its clutches. She may have her hand on Evelynn's throat, but it was literally just there.

"I'm... I'm not surprised..." Akali grunted out, gasping when the lasher clenched around her neck for a split-second.

"Well, the Institute puts too much faith on demons like me. They actually thought I would just behave and be a good girl." Evelynn leaned close, cooing at Akali as the Ionian deeply struggled for the air she was losing. "I want to sate my hunger, and you, my weak, little mortal, is what I'm craving for."

"T-Took you... long enough..." Akali choked out, the lasher around her neck tightening little by little and threatening to crush her windpipe if the demon ever wanted to. "Gonna k-kill me...?"

"Kill you? Now? Oh no, love. I wouldn't do something so hurriedly." Evelynn purred, her teeth baring for a moment before her forked tongue darted out and licked over Akali's cheek. "I want to hear your cries first."

The scream of agony was instant and it pierced through the silent night, prompting nearby animals to either scurry or fly away in not only hopes of not suffering the same pain, but also in terror of what was transpiring.

Blood painted the left side of Akali's torso as Evelynn dug her claws into her skin, grinning as tears pooled in the other's eyes. Like paint spilling on a canvas, Evelynn watched as crimson trickled out and around her nails, red falling on the dirt and coloring the green grass and brown leaves with the same red shade.

"Ohh! Now that's what I call beauty!" Evelynn proudly said as she watched the girl beneath her bleed, flexing her fingers and causing Akali to cry out. "And that scream of yours... Why haven't I ever done this to you before? It's such a _pleasure_ to hear you scream."

"Hahhhh! Aagghhh!" Akali continued to cry in agony, feeling Evelynn's claws dig in more.

Withdrawing her right hand from Akali's side, Evelynn roughly grasped the ninja's jaw, making sure the latter was looking at her as she threatened to also wound the other side of her midriff. The Ionian's own blood stained the skin of her face as Evelynn grasped it, but all Akali could notice and make out in that moment was the wicked grin on the demon's pale face.

"Do I look like I give a damn about the rules I've been given? Am I afraid of the consequences that'll befall me once you bleed to your end? No, I'm not." Evelynn released a sinister laugh. "I want you to look at me, darling. Look at me and tell me what you want."

A plea for mercy, a scream of agony or a face full of tears, Evelynn expected them all. They're the most obvious reactions to such painful situation. She snarled in pleasure as she awaited for the reply she always heard from her pathetic victims.

Of course she didn't predict that she'll be taken aback by the response she acquired, which prompted her to slowly retract and stare into the brown eyes that gazed back.

"Your... heart..."

"...I beg your pardon?"

"I want... your heart..." Akali forced herself to sputter out, consciousness slowly slipping away from her as the lasher around her neck continued to suffocate her, while the pain of her wounds continued to pull her into a numb, unconscious state.

"Hah," Evelynn gave a scoff-like laugh, shaking her head as she queried, "is that supposed to be a little jest?"

Instead of receiving a verbal reply, Evelynn felt something cool touch the skin of her chest. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she lowered her gaze, immediately noticing the kunai pendant being pressed against the skin of her chest.

Another breathy laugh, which then morphed into a much sinister cackle from the sadistic vixen. Her laugh rang clear with mockery, while underneath her, Akali hissed and gritted her teeth. The siren's nails were still buried at one side of her torso, further deepening the reach of her claws within her.

"No matter what you do or what you say, you will _never_ feel even a semblance of a heart inside me. What," Evelynn's entirety was engulfed by a purplish black mist, only for her to emerge in a different form. She had copied her alternate self's appearance. The only thing that remained demonic with her are her hands and of course her eyes. They may be amber now, but they still glowed and they were still the same as a snake's gaze. "did you really think I'm like her? Oh honey, you're completely mistaken."

Akali's consciousness was fading, the lack of air and the bleeding she was suffering being mainly to blame. She directed most of her remaining strength in continuing on pressing her pendant against Evelynn as if the act itself would help her get out of the life-ending predicament she's in.

"Can I hear one last whisper, darling?" Evelynn asked in a velvety whisper. "My name, Akali. Let me hear you say it."

"...Evelynn..." The name was shakily uttered, yet it held more than a handful of emotion, and even a sly demon like Evelynn was able to comprehend it.

Those watery brown eyes disappeared from view the moment Akali passed out, whether it was from the loss of blood or the suffocation she was undergoing, no one really knew.

Evelynn watched as Akali fell limp in her grasp, breaths gradually slowing and heart nearing its end of its beating. Before she could end the life of the Rogue Assassin right then and there and finally acquire the sweet soul within her, her lashers abruptly loosened.

Looking down and taking a long moment in auditing Akali's face, Evelynn thought about the conversation she had held with the counterpart of the ninja. The wounds Akali was suffering now was vastly different from just a sprained wrist and bleeding lip, and that's an obvious fact.

A soft, almost quiet gasp left Akali's slightly parted lips when Evelynn withdrew her claws from her side, letting the blood seep through the tears she inflicted on her skin.

"It's no fun when you're so quiet."

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

In the K/DA universe...

Sweat forming all over her face and body, shirt sticking against her like a second skin and breaths coming out pained and ragged, _Akali_ was clearly suffering from a nightmare she was having.

In her dreams, it always started nice and with her being affectionate towards her lover, but everytime it was going well, _Evelynn_ would suddenly morph into that demonic twin of hers. Torments would soon follow after such, and _Akali_ always finds herself being strangled by those lashers of hers and beastly nails would claw at her back in the most agonizing way possible.

Whenever she tried screaming, it was muffled by those sinful lips the satanic creature that was once her girlfriend possessed. No matter what she tried doing, the Evelynn in her dreams would inflict an immense amount of agony and she could do nothing but shed tears in the midst of it.

"Darling? _Akali? Akali!_ " _Evelynn_ began to call out, awakened by the squirming and panting the rapper was doing in her sleep. Her hands shook the freestyler by her shoulders, attempting to reel her out of the nightmare she seemed to be engulfed in. " _Akali_ , wake up! It's just a nightmare! Wake up!"

"Hah!" _Akali_ jolted out of her sleep, breaking free from the nightmare she was going through. Still feeling the remnants of fear and pain, she thrashed and struggled against the grasp of the diva, who immediately enveloped her in a tight embrace. "Get away from me! Leave me alone! Get off!"

_Evelynn_ stayed quiet, keeping _Akali_ in her arms as the latter continued her attempts in escaping her clutches. Only when she started hearing the other begin to whimper and sob did she start to softly hush her, hands delicately brushing at her hair and rubbing at her back to soothe her tense self.

" _Akali_ , darling, it's me." _Evelynn_ whispered, feeling her lover tremble in her hold. "It's just me. It was just a nightmare. I'm here, alright? I'm here."

For a moment, _Akali_ became mute and was absolutely still before she ultimately calmed down and finally embraced _Evelynn_ in reciprocation. She started openly crying, leaving the diva to to comfort her with reassuring whispers and soothing gestures.

"I don't want to sleep anymore, _Eve_..." _Akali_ shakily murmured. "I keep dreaming about her. I keep dreaming about how she's out to get me. I can't take it anymore..."

"Darling, she's gone. She won't ever touch you or even come near you ever again." _Evelynn_ said, brushing aside the hair that had stuck to _Akali's_ sweat-stained self. "It's me who's here with you. Not that demon, okay? I'll protect you from her, I promise."

As _Akali_ buried her face in _Evelynn's_ shoulder, the diva tightly hugged her in return. Her eyes wandered around the room, the act itself making her question if she would ever find a way to relieve her girlfriend of her nightmares.

She needed to protect Akali from _herself_.

She was the demon of her dreams, but at the same time not.

_Evelynn_ honestly didn't know how she could erase the fears her lover has, especially since in some twisted way, _Akali_ is afraid of _her_.

And it wounded her to know that such was the truth.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Her eyelids felt too heavy to be lifted so easily, and whenever she did try, it felt like it was worsening the headache she was becoming conscious of. Regardless, the rogue still tried and eventually succeeded.

When her eyes finally caught sight of what seemed to be sunlight shining through an old curtain, Akali gradually came to her senses and became aware of her surroundings and where she was laying. She was on a simple wooden bench, a pillow under her head and a small blanket draped over her and barely covering the the rest of her body.

Carefully, Akali pushed herself to sit up, wincing when a small jolt of pain originated from her side. Her right hand shot to her left, touching the bandages that were now wrapped around her midriff. She could feel the patch underneath and pressed against the place where her bleeding wound is supposed to be found.

"You're awake."

Akali's head snapped towards the direction of the nearest doorway, which seems to lead outside. She found a middle-aged woman walking in with a small basket of vegetables, most likely the ingredients she intend on using for whatever meal she was intending to make.

Even though the woman looked so harmless, Akali didn't let her guard down even for a bit. She could vividly recall everything before she lost her consciousness and how the Agony's Embrace came so close in ending her life right then and there.

What if this woman before her is Evelynn? She certainly didn't want to take her chances.

"Who are you?" Akali asked, tone firm and even but not too threatening.

"Oh, my apologies for being rude." The woman said with a sheepish, innocent smile, placing the basket she was carrying on the small dining table. "I'm Alys,"

Just as she introduced herself, Akali heard the sound of wood being chopped outside and a man's grunt sounding along with it.

"and the man outside is my husband, Merek." The woman added, briefly glancing out through the window where she could apparently see her significant other. "We heard the pigs squealing last night, and when we checked, we found you outside. You were bleeding."

"Looked like you had a tussle with a beast or something." Merek said as he stepped into the cozy cabin he and his wife live in, firewood in his arms.

Akali looked down to her bandaged side for a moment before raising her head back up again. "Were there any traces how I got here? I... don't recall seeing any of you or your home."

Alys shook her head. "We just saw you out there, dear. It's actually a good thing we did, or else you would've bled out."

"Or eaten by some wild animal." Merek gruffly added, placing the firewood at the side.

As much as Akali didn't want to lie to the seemingly nice couple that obviously saved her life, she didn't want to say much about what happened. The thought of Evelynn coming after these two innocent people because of her would probably make Akali lose sleep for countless days.

As hasty as she can with her still-recovering self, Akali gathered her things, which were on a nearby chair, before she finally managed to stand up and bid goodbye to the couple. She left as much coin as she could spare as additional thanks, politely declining the invitation for lunch in the midst of it.

Once she acquired the directions to the nearest village from Merek, she made her journey with her eyes glancing right and left, and sometimes over her shoulder, from time to time.

Even though she had miraculously lived from her previous encounter with Evelynn, she knew it wasn't because she actually got herself out of the demon's perilous clutches.

She had checked her neck through her reflection thanks to a pond she had came across on her way to the village she had in mind. The hideous mark around her neck was added proof that everything she had went through the previous night happened.

Evelynn _allowed_ her to live.

There was no other explanation. It's not like Akali managed to slip out of the satanic beauty's inescapable lashers.

Now, she wanted to know _why_.

What's Evelynn's agenda here?

Why didn't she just kill her and sate her so called thirst for her pain and death?

Akali needed to know, and the only place she could possibly acquire answers from is the Institute of War.

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

The trip to the village, then to the Institute of War was absolutely draining. Despite having a handful of summoners at the capital of Ionia ready to teleport her to the Institute, Akali still felt exhausted by the time she arrived. The whole journey _did_ take most of the day.

Before going to the High Council to inquire about the location of the Agony's Embrace, Akali dropped by at the Infirmary first to get herself properly treated and healed, despite the fact that it was already somewhat late in the evening.

By the time she was finished being healed though, the healer advised her to rest in her quarters first before she requests an audience with the High Council.

Walking into her champion quarters, her kama fell onto the floor with a loud thud as she released it from her grasp. She sighed as she glanced at the weapon that was now leaning on the nearest wall before she proceeded, ridding herself of her weapons one by one.

Once she crossed the small living room and passed the divider that separated the bed area from the mentioned space, she took off the cloak she had on and tossed it to a nearby chair before plopping down on the bed with a deep sigh.

Out of habit, Akali reached up to her chest where she expected to touch the kunai pendant she always wore around her neck. Much to her surprise, it wasn't there.

A flash of memories fleeted across her mind, remembering what she had done with it and how she had it in her hand when she pressed her palm against Evelynn's to try and see if there truly is a beating heart underneath the demonic greyish white skin she naturally possessed.

"Fuck..." Akali uttered under her breath, lowering her head as she released another sigh.

The pendant was probably lost somewhere in the many forests of Ionia now. She knew it would need a damn miracle for her to actually retrieve it.

As Akali laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling with a spaced out look, she was left to contemplate about everything. She tried taking this as a chance to analyze the turn of events, but with how she always ended up empty-handed, she felt like it was a waste of time.

At the Institute Garden, which can be found just on the other side of the Ionian Wing, a certain vixen can be found toying with a kunai pendant. A half-interested look was painted on her peculiarly attractive face, lips curving upward as she caught the scent of her prey.

The mentioned scent was not only heavy on the pendant she was holding, but she had also tasted the rogue's blood. It was much easier to track her down, or even known if she's nearby.

Tracing the outline of the centerpiece of the accessory she had in hand, Evelynn smirked wickedly before tying the pendant around her neck. She flicked at the dull kunai hanging below her collarbone, chuckling darkly.

"I'm not done with you yet, Akali. Not in the very least."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Back in the K/DA Universe...

The luxurious beach the pair had rented may offer an amazing view of the beautiful blue ocean and the beach, yet the rapper seemed to not notice the breathtaking sight before her. Standing at the veranda, _Akali_ tiredly gazed into space and appeared more like a wilting statue rather than an actual person.

The dark bags under her exhausted-looking blues were enough to show how shitty she felt. Lack of sleep was not healthy, and _Akali_ hasn't been sleeping well for the past couple of days. The nightmares were just killing her from the inside. It forced her to hate sleeping.

Behind her and leaning against the doorframe of the open sliding door, _Evelynn_ can be found eyeing her with a concerned look written across her face.

Throughout the nights and times _Akali_ fell asleep, the freestyler would either wake up screaming and sweating or crying and thrashing or either. It was not a sight _Evelynn_ was happy to see.

Everytime she did witness it and made an effort to wake _Akali_ out of her terrifying dreams, _Evelynn_ felt more and more useless, especially when her beloved clings to her immediately after she realizes she's not the demon that's been haunting her.

Quietly, she approached. Her pace was slow, careful not to spook her girlfriend. When she reached the latter, she gently embraced her from behind, smiling briefly when the rapper relaxed in her arms.

Chin perching on _Akali's_ right shoulder and arms locking around her slim waist, _Evelynn_ gave her lover a kiss on the cheek before she finally spoke.

"Don't you want to take a nap? Even for a few minutes?"

"I want to." _Akali_ muttered, sighing before she said, "But I don't want to, either. I'm just going to dream of _her_ again."

"But, darling, you can't stay awake forever. If you push yourself further, you might just collapse." _Evelynn_ pointed out with a small frown. "And I don't want that to happen to you."

"I can't sleep, _Eve_." _Akali_ finally turned around to face _Evelynn_ , but it wasn't enough to make her retract her hold from her. "Whenever I close my eyes, I feel like I'm going to be back to this dream that'll eventually turn into one of the most horrible nightmares I've ever seen."

"But, _Akali_...-"

_Akali_ reached up and cupped Evelynn's cheeks with her hands, a desperate gleam in her azure eyes as she said, "I don't want to be afraid of you, _Evelynn_. But because of these dreams..."

Shaking her head and trailing off with her words, _Akali_ hugged _Evelynn_ and buried her face in her shoulder. With how tightly she embraced the slightly taller woman, _Evelynn_ felt the feeling of being useless once again.

All these nightmares came after the whole consciousness-swap between her girlfriend and the latter's assassin counterpart.

_Evelynn_ initially thought that might be the cause for this horrendous sleeping experiences, but she couldn't be entirely certain. After all, what does she know about these types of circumstances? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

At first she thought this abrupt out-of-town vacation would somehow help _Akali_ and distract her from the horrors in her head, but with the two sequential nights that always led to _Akali_ waking up from nightmares, her attempt to soothe her lover was clearly futile.

For more than just a couple of minutes, they both stood there under the shade of the veranda's roof, both accompanied by the relaxing breeze. It was serenely quiet for a while, until...

A soft snore.

_Evelynn_ slowly turned her head to check on _Akali_ , only to find out that the rapper had fallen asleep standing up. The next few steps that followed were somewhat difficult, but _Evelynn_ succeeded situating them both on the nearest lounge chair.

With one hand resting over _Akali's_ back and the other brushing through her hair, _Evelynn_ quietly bid the rapper sweet dreams and hoped to the fullest that the grasp of terror won't come near her dreamland this time.

For the first time in their relationship, she whispered, "Don't dream of me, _Akali_."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Strange..."

In the lab the High Council had set up for the Revered Inventor, the mentioned Yordle can be found standing right in front of various panels with screens displaying the data he had gathered and had been examining from the test they conducted with the Rogue Assassin.

He soundlessly typed on the holographic keyboard, eyes narrowing as he inspected the illustration that was being projected onscreen.

"Interesting..." Heimerdinger murmured with interest before slightly looking over his shoulder. "High Councilor?"

Behind him, the door had just opened and Vessaria literally just stepped one foot inside the room, looking a little surprised that the champion had noticed her presence in an instant.

"Revered Inventor." Vessaria greeted with a nod of her head, approaching him. "I'm assuming you found something worth discussing?"

"Oh, I did indeed." Heimerdinger spun around and grasped the hem of the woman's robes, lightly tugging on it as he led her to one of the screens at the side. "This, my dear, shows the flow of a person's consciousness. Similar to a cycle of some type."

"And what of it?"

"With how advanced we are with technology, you will see right here..." Heimerdinger pointed at one part of the screen where the calm flow of green hue was being tainted by a blue color and hints of blackish purple. "There are intruders."

"Intruders?" Vessaria queried with a raised eyebrow. "What does that supposed to mean?"

"It's like a virus of some sort. Well, one of them at least."

"My apologies, Heimerdinger, but I don't seem to follow."

"The blue one, you see it, yes?"

"Yes, and?"

"According to the data I have gathered, it's a piece of the alternate Akali's consciousness." Heimerdinger answered with a simple tap on the screen. "Meaning, a part of her counterpart's consciousness is linked to her and may be serving some sort of small bridge between their minds."

"Do they both share the same thoughts now? Aware of each other's consciousness maybe?"

"Not exactly. More like, they may have swapped a part of their minds with each other." The Yordle scientist said before explaining, "Judging from the data and the theory I have conjured up, it looks like the Akali in the alternate world may be exchanging either memories, dreams or both with the Akali here in our world."

"She dreams of what _our_ Rogue Assassin should be dreaming of?"

"To put it simply, yes."

"Can it be fixed?" Vessaria asked, deep concern in her eyes. "It's not wise to leave such... disturbance in someone's mind."

"Possibly."

"Possibly?"

"The problem is in the illustration." Heimerdinger once again pointed at the part where the three colors clashed, the tip of his finger specifically touching the part where the dark purplish color can be seen. The monitor zoomed in, providing a much clearer view of the dangerous-looking hue. "This."

"What _is_ that?"

"That's the so called virus I was describing. There is this miniscule power embedded in the Rogue Assassin's mind that's not actually hers to begin with. It was coursing through her consciousness and when we transferred her state of mind to her counterpart, this _'thing'_ went along with her and may have possibly tainted her alternate's mind."

"Is it from the Zz'Rot portal?"

"No, it's not."

"You are certain?"

Heimerdinger nodded before he gestured to another screen, where he tapped a few keys before the image of the Agony's Embrace was brought up.

"I ran a few tests and I traced it back to _her_."

Vessaria's eyebrows furrowed, finger rubbing her chin in contemplation. "She implanted it, then?"

"Well, since a champion's abilities are always limited to a reasonable extent whenever they participate in a battle in the Rift, I theorize that Evelynn here has _always_ been capable of _'tainting'_ a person's mind." Heimerdinger explained with a simple gesture to the screen. "We're likely just witnessing it now."

"Is it possible that she has a hold on the mind of Akali's counterpart?"

Heimerdinger nodded. "Possibly, yes."

"Please tell me there is a way to revert everything back to normal."

"She is a demon who feeds from the pain of her victims. Though I highly doubt there is a way to undo what she had done, or have her undo it in the first place," Heimerdinger turned to face Vessaria, hands tucked behind him as she said, "but the only person possibly capable of removing this _'corruption'_ is no one but the Agony's Embrace."

Sighing, Vessaria told Heimerdinger to continue analyzing his findings from the test before she spun around and exited his lab. The guards waiting outside dutifully followed after her, both remaining silent as the High Councilor pondered to herself.

"Find the Agony's Embrace." Vessaria ordered to the guard at her left. "Bring her back to the Detention Center."

"Yes, High Councilor." The guard immediately rushed away, leaving the other Institute guard to await the next command.

"Get the Rogue Assassin from her quarters. I expect her at the High Council Room within half an hour, understood?"

"Without delay, High Councilor!"

As the last of the two guards took his departure to do her bidding, Vessaria was left to once again sigh at the problematic situation.

She dearly hoped Evelynn would be cooperative this time.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Honestly, I had no intention in making "Parallel" a multi-chapter story, which is the reason why the story's kinda... whack, but a lot of you seem to like it.
> 
> Anyway, that's that for now. Till my next update~ ^^


	5. Parallel in Desire

**Parallel in Desire** _(Continuation to_ _ **"Parallel in Agony"**_ _)_

 **TW:** _Mentions of sexual abuse/rape_

"Looking into the mind of a demon? My, my, my, Vessaria... The Institute becomes bolder and bolder by the day."

The summoning chamber where the altered Zz'Rot Portal was moved was moderately filled with guards and mages fully capable of subduing anyone who would dare attempt in either harming another person or in doing something inexcusable to the mentioned portal. The last thing they needed was to have the latter tampered with.

Connected to the Zz'Rot portal were two of the contraptions Heimerdinger invented. Unlike the one they had initially used, which was where Akali was currently hooked up in, the other was one more confining and secured, for it kept the demon that was smugly speaking to the High Councilor.

Evelynn's lashers were wound around her body like some sort of straitjacket, and on top of that makeshift restraint were the leather belts strapped over her torso to keep her from thrashing or leaving. Even one of the summoners was given the order to put a magical binding strong enough to impede any unnecessary movements from the siren herself before they slightly relaxed.

"This would've been done sooner if you had not resisted the guards." Vessaria then narrowed her eyes. "Or tried incapacitating them in the process of your capture."

Despite being tied down and rendered completely immobile, Evelynn still looked at ease as she chuckled. "It was nothing personal, Vessaria. I just wanted them to suffer horribly."

Vessaria sighed and shook her head, turning away to approach Heimerdinger. On her way to the Yordle though, she noticed how Akali was just calmly laying on her own place, but her eyes were fixated on the siren just an extremely short distance away from her. When she traced the rogue's gaze, her attention was briefly focused on the kunai pendant around the vixen's neck. 

It _clearly_ belonged to Akali.

Speaking of Akali, Vessaria also noticed how she had become silent ever since she was situated back onto the seat of the machine. Not a single complaint, question or even an insult towards the succubus that she knew was someone she wasn't overly fond of.

"How're the preparations?"

"Just a few more minutes, High Councilor." Heimerdinger said, typing on his keyboard once again. "Wouldn't want to make any errors. We are going to meddle with the consciousness of four living beings, after all."

" _Four?_ " Came Vessaria's surprised query. "Isn't it supposed to be just three? Akali, her alternate self and Evelynn's?"

"Think of the place where the consciousness of their alternates can be found. It's like a server, my dear. For us to connect Akali's mind to the other without merging or switching, we must connect her to the aforementioned figurative server." Heimerdinger explained, stopping his work to face Vessaria. "And as for Evelynn, the fabricated corrupt connection she has with the alternate Akali is too weak to be used as a bridge for the alteration. Therefore, we have no choice but to use the other Evelynn's consciousness as a passage."

"Does that mean our Evelynn will be able to take control of her dimensional twin?"

"Oh, no, no, nothing of that sort. They'll all just be unconscious for a period of time. It'll provide enough time for our Evelynn to remove the _'corruption'_ from our Akali's consciousness. I've been doing some work with the Zz'Rot portal's capabilities and if the results of my tests are correct, then that means I could create a type of _'room'_ for their consciousness to be isolated in altogether. Temporarily, of course."

"What about their alternate selves? Will they be able to retain memories of this?"

"Theoretically speaking, no, they won't be."

Vessaria sighed and gestured for Heimerdinger to go back to what she was doing. "As long as we remove the corruption Evelynn had left, then we can consider this as a success."

"Right you are, High Councilor. Right you are."

As they conversed, Akali could be currently found staring at the ceiling of the tall room while Evelynn was the one doing the whole eyeing thing, an intrigued look in her demonic eyes. The Ionian was fully aware of the gaze, but she seemed to be determined in disregarding the vixen as much as she was capable of.

"Loud and strong, isn't it?"

The unusual comment successfully captured Akali's attention. With furrowed eyebrows, she turned her head and focused her eyes on the siren, who wore a knowing look on her face. It was somewhat unsettling.

"What?"

"Your heart." Evelynn clarified, glancing down to Akali's chest. "I can hear it singing to me."

Instead of acknowledging what was said, Akali quietly grunted and scowled. "The High Councilor told me everything about what you did. When this whole thing is done, my alternate self better not be bothered by your terrors."

"Oh, so are you giving me permission to terrorize _your_ mind instead?" Evelynn eagerly quipped, grinning wickedly. "I would love to see how far you're willing to play with me in your dreams. Maybe there you'd be more _open_ for me, if you know what I mean."

"I'm warning you."

"What _can_ you do that'll actually hurt me, hmm?" Evelynn challenged, evidently looking smug as she spoke. "Let us face facts, Ionian. Without even an ounce of effort from my part, I already have your pathetic, little heart in my hands. Now, let me ask you... What do _you_ have against me?"

Akali's lips parted to utter her retort, but the only thing that left her was silence. She stared back at Evelynn with a mixture of horror and disappointment. She had _nothing_ on the siren, but in some way, the latter was wrong about what she had said. Her heart may or may not be in Evelynn's hands, yes, but it was only given because she was in love with what the demon _could be_ if only she was open for a deeply heartfelt change.

In the background, she could hear Heimerdinger starting his three second countdown, which indicated that the process was about to officially begin. Akali tried her hardest to say something. Something that would take the demon aback, yet her lips were unable to do anything but tremble in the very slightest.

It was a sight Evelynn adored, for it supplied her hints of pain from the Ionian herself.

"...I hate you."

The sinister grin returned. "I think we both know you mean the opposite."

"One!" Was the only word they both last heard before they passed out. As Heimerdinger made sure the procedure went according to their plan, both Akali and Evelynn's consciousness traveled to a place that only existed between them both and their counterparts.

 **(** _Italicized names_ **refer to the characters from the alternate universe)**

Meanwhile in the K/DA Universe, _Akali_ had literally just woken up because of the chill of the night when she soon lost consciousness again. She nearly fell onto _Evelynn's_ sleeping self on their shared bed. Heimerdinger's contraptions were at work, rendering all four women to be in some sort of short yet unexplainable comatose state.

Neither of them knew how time worked in where they were, but they were all teleported to a wide dance hall. It looked more like a box with mirrors rather than a falsified ballet studio. It's entire design held similarities of where K/DA usually held their routine rehearsals, but unlike the original room, this only had mirrors and not single door in sight. While Akali stood at one side of the room with the alternate demon's self, Evelynn had Akali's counterpart at the other side.

There was this barrier in between and it separated them from seeing their other selves. Though it was blurry and looked a bit more like pristine and rippling water, neither of them was able to get through. Akali tried, but all it did was generate more wrinkles on the bleary surface. It left them no choice but to face one another's dimensional twin.

"Akali...?" _Evelynn_ uttered the rogue's name with wide eyes, slowly approaching and reaching out to the Ionian.

Seeing the human _Evelynn_ , one that was genuinely mortal and actually had a live, beating heart was a sight for her sore eyes. The hesitation she always felt diminished and her feet moved faster than she could comprehend.

A soft _'oof!'_ left _Evelynnʼs_ lips as Akali abruptly ran towards her and took her into a tight embrace. Though it was not her _actual_ significant other, _Evelynn_ didn't hesitate in returning the gesture. She enveloped Akali with warm arms, holding her like how she would always do when it came to her beloved rapper.

This was highly likely to be a mere dream, the diva assumed, so she found no harm in placing delicate kisses against Akaliʼs temple to further show her affection. With how Akali significantly relaxed in her embrace, it was quite obvious she appreciated it.

"What're you doing here?" _Evelynn_ asked in a murmur, still hugging the aforementioned ninja. "This is a dream, isn't it?"

"I suppose you could say that." Akali reluctantly pulled back, gazing into the gold amber eyes that looked nothing like a demon's slits. "I... I tried."

"Tried what?"

"Tried seeing if you had a heart in my world."

 _Evelynnʼs_ eyes widened, realizing what Akali was referring to. She reached up and caressed the other's cheek, a delicate look of concern on her face as she asked, "And what happened?"

Akali stepped away from the embrace only to slightly turn and show the healing claw marks Evelynn had left on the side of her midriff. Though in her world, her wounds were still wrapped in bandages and was still incomplete in the healing process. The place they're in made the marks look more like scars on the verge of healing completely.

"She did this to you?"

Akali nodded. "I don't know if I should be happy about it or not."

"What're you saying? Of course you should be _upset_. She tried killing you, didn't she?"

"...She did." Akali then shook her head, suppressing a sigh. "But in the end, she didn't push through with it. I don't know why she spared me, but she did."

The diva's frown became more pronounced. "This isn't a dream, is it? Whatever this is that's going on, this is no dream."

Instead of replying verbally, Akali just shook her head again.

If she was speaking to the assassin version of Akali, then where was her girlfriend? The thought of the latter being alone with her satanic counterpart was just too much for _Evelynn_ to keep herself calm and collected. She didn't want _Akali_ to further suffer than she already had.

"Akali, please. Tell me where _my_ Akali is."

With the desperation hinting _Evelynn's_ tone all of a sudden, Akali felt a wave of envy wash over her. She could clearly tell that _Evelynn_ was immensely worried for _Akali_. It made the Rogue Assassin further wish that the woman before her was hers, or that the demon she had in her world thought of her with the same level of emotion and sincerity.

"I'm really sorry, _Evelynn_ , but all this? All of this is necessary. It's... a process."

"Necessary? Akali," Evelynn took a step forward, grasping her shoulders as she continued with, " _m_ _y Akali_ hasn't been sleeping well for days. My heart always breaks whenever I see her fight her sleep, and it breaks even more whenever she wakes up and tells me to let go of her."

"I...-"

"I don't know if this whole process you're talking about is absolutely necessary, but she is _hurting,_ Akali."

" _Evelynn_...-"

"I love her. I really do. And whatever this is, please, tell me this isn't going to add any more to her nightmares. It's killing her inside." _Evelynn_ said, a pleading gleam shining clear within those amber hues of her gaze. "Tell me it all ends here."

"I hope it does." Akali was finally able to respond. "I don't exactly know what she's been going through, but we're doing this for her own good. Believe me, I'm here because I want to set everything back to how it was."

As _Evelynn_ sighed and shook her head at the possibilities of what could be happening as they spoke to one another, Akali didn't see any choice to take but just offer as much comfort as she could give to the diva. Unfortunately, comforting wasn't one of her best traits, which made her feel a bit tense and awkward when she laid a hand on _Evelynn's_ shoulder and gave it a few pats.

While she did such, there was another conversation transpiring on the other side of the barrier.

Terrified and practically deafened by the quick heartbeats in her chest, _Akali_ was inching back and towards the mirrors on the wall. She refused to approach the white-haired demon currently lounging on her lashers, which were positioned to mimic a makeshift chair. With a smirk playing on her pale lips, Evelynn eyed the rapper with a dark look that showed nothing but bad news.

Yes, _Akali_ cowered from the succubus before her, but she wouldn't allow herself to just crumble beneath her gaze without even putting up a fight. She'll maintain the tough act and try her hardest in holding her resolve, regardless if this was another nightmare or not.

Across her, Evelynn might be acting entirely smug and condescending, but she was contemplating on her next move. This opportunity had two paths she could go down on. Either she destroys the entirety of _Akali's_ sanity and leave her with a broken mind, which will likely result with her likely becoming brain-dead, permanently comatose or just plain batshit crazy. 

_Or_ , she could decide on taking the chance in satisfying the interest she had developed for a long while now.

"What do you want from me?"

And that's when Evelynn finally chose an option.

Shifting and uncrossing her legs, Evelynn leaned back and made a small gesture with a hand of hers as she offered, "How about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" _Akali_ scoffed. "And then what? Once I agree on whatever deal we make, you'll kill me? That's how these nightmares always go. I'm not falling for that again."

"Oh shush. You want those nightmares to stop, don't you?" Evelynn asked with a small knowing smirk. "If you do, then answer my questions _honestly_. If your answers are satisfactory, then I might consider stopping all those terrifying dreams you've been having."

Skepticism was written all over the freestyler's face. Evelynn couldn't really blame her. She did implant a tiny part of herself within the mortal's consciousness. Small it may be, it was more than enough to cause various levels of fear and paranoia.

"...What do you want to know?" _Akali_ asked, stance remaining guarded as she warily watched the demon's every little shift.

"What would you do if I targeted someone else?" Evelynn queried with a smile too devious to be trusted.

"Who?"

"Someone." Evelynn winked. "Someone who's not you."

The sarcastic reply wasn't exactly informative, but _Akali_ knew she didn't have much of a chance in getting a straight answer from the vixen. Ultimately, she answered with, "It depends on who and what you'll do."

"Alright, I suppose that's fair." Evelynn hummed with a nod before following up with another question. "Why her?"

"Why who?"

" _Evelynn._ The one you're irrevocably in love with."

 _Akali_ narrowed her eyes and instead of being afraid, she started inching towards Evelynn, every step of hers serving as a wordless warning. "Don't you dare touch her."

"That doesn't answer my question~" Evelynn cooed teasingly, smirking as she tapped her nails on her thigh.

"If you want to continue haunting me in my head, fine. Go ahead, do whatever you want. But, don't you even _think_ about coming near my girlfriend."

"Ooh, getting feisty, aren't we?"

 _Akali_ literally just opened her mouth to utter a retort when Evelynn morphed into a dark purple mist that practically lunged at her, long claws and cold fingers wrapping around her neck all of a sudden and threatening to choke the life out of her. She gasped, hands shooting up to grip and uselessly attempt in prying the demon's unbreakable clutches.

"I'm not done yet, honey." Evelynn purred as she materialized right before her, leaning in to lick at her cheek with a forked tongue. "Now, as much as I appreciate the foolish bravery you display, I still want to know more."

A strangled breath left _Akali_ when she tried responding back, her own nails doing no damage on Evelynn's skin as she tried digging them in to make her release her.

"You know, if you truly love her," Evelynn pressed her lips on _Akali's_ temple, the reassuring gesture not at all soothing. "would you do everything for her, hmm? Would you draw blood if she was harmed by someone? Would you embrace death and agony if it meant she would live? Hmm?"

When all she could hear was _Akali's_ struggling pants and breaths, Evelynn rolled her eyes and flung _Akali_ across the room as if she weighed like a feather. She crashed onto the floor with a resounding thud, her form skidding to a stop as her back eventually hit one of the many mirrors.

"Well?" Came Evelynn's impatient demand, strutting and looking down on the rapper. "Would you do _everything_ that I told you just for the sake of a useless emotion? Feelings? Love? _Ugh._ "

With trembling hands, _Akali_ pushed herself up until she was in a seated position. She chose to lean back and rest herself against the mirror, regarding Evelynn with a shockingly sympathetic gaze. The sight vexed the demon, but she disguised her immense annoyance with a disgusted curl of her lips.

"You..." _Akali_ started, breathing slowly steadying. "You've loved someone before, haven't you?"

Evelynn stilled, movements hitching for just a mere second before it relaxed again when she scoffed and crossed her arms. "Is this the part where I start claiming that I was a good soul? That I myself once had a heart?"

"You're jealous of her."

"Don't wait for me to wipe off that smug look of yours with my own claws."

"You're jealous of what she has." _Akali_ repeated her point, her fear diminishing when she pushed the assumption she acquired from her observation. " _Evelynn_ has friends, she's human, she's more approachable, _and_ she has someone that loves her for her. You _want_ what she has. But then again... Who could love a demon like you?"

_**Crack!** _

Despite having her head pretty much being bashed back against the mirror behind her and a hand was harshly grasping her by the jaw, _Akali_ managed to flash a triumphant look and grin at Evelynn, who had lunged at her once again and had let her anger get the best of her.

"You. Know. _Nothing._ "

"I know you want to be loved again." _Akali_ further pushed through, disregarding the tightening hold on her jaw. "I know you want what you can't have. You say you want death and stuff related to that, but you just want...-"

"You don't know _anything_ about what I want, _honey_." Evelynn murmured, cooing the endearment with venom dripping from her voice.

"Don't I really?" _Akali_ didn't seem to care about the consequences. She was set on making the demon before her realize _her_ deepest desire, but Evelynn was just too stubborn and self-righteous to admit that a _'puny mortal'_ like her got her all figured out.

A long moment passed and _Akali_ honestly thought she might have just died and time may as well have stopped, which was probably why she was a bit surprised that she was still able to move her jaw with the tiniest shifts and that the demon had yet to crush it with her bare hand.

Of course when Evelynn finally uttered her reply, _Akali's_ head was swarmed with questions that would forever remain unanswered and forgotten.

"I tasted peace _once_. Didn't work for me."

In a flash, the hand that choked her was gone and _Akali_ had yet to regain her breath when a pair of lips was suddenly pressed against hers, prying them open and conquering her as if it was any less sinful not to do so.

The kiss reminded her so much of _Evelynn's_ , but it was different at the same time. It felt so right yet wrong. The point was further proven when _Akali_ started feeling suffocated from the lack of air. She tried pushing and kicking to try and steal a chance for air, but Evelynn's lashers came and restrained her movements, depriving her of freedom.

Slowly but surely, _Akali_ fell unconscious and when she did, the room began to crumble.

Evelynn watched as the rapper lost her consciousness, pulling away and standing up as their entire surroundings cracked and broke as if there was a violent earthquake. She backed away, watching as the floor shattered like the mirrors and when _Akali_ fell into the oblivion below, Evelynn felt her hold on the artist diminish completely.

_'Another failed lover.'_

Difference here was that _Akali_ was gone from her hands, but was fortunate enough to escape with her mind intact and her heart still beating.

.....

.....

.....

.....

 _Akali_ gasped awake, her entire self shooting up from her place on the bed, slightly breathless when she looked around and let relief flood her system. They were back in the vacation house by the beach, and when she looked to her side, she found _Evelynn_ , whose eyes seemed to have snapped open and was now staring up at the ceiling of the bedroom.

" _Evelynn?_ "

The diva's gaze fleeted towards _Akali_ , the sight of the latter prompting her to push herself up in a seated position as well. She reached towards her, looking hesitant as she did.

"Darling, did you... Did you just woke up? From a nightmare?"

 _Akali_ bit her lip as she thought about what happened. She tried recalling what she just dreamt of, but when she did, all she could remember was a blur of white, purple and a misty sight of amber eyes.

In the end, she shook her head. "No, I... I don't think I dreamt of anything. You?"

 _Evelynn_ shook her head.

"Then... Maybe my nightmares are gone? No dreams mean it's good, right?"

"Oh darling..."

 _Evelynn_ hadn't even leaned in when Akali took the initiative and just tackled her down the bed. Though she had woken up feeling a bit breathless, it was certainly not because of a gruesome nightmare. She buried her face in _Evelynn's_ neck, kissing around her throat and collarbone before she rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"The nightmares are gone, then?" _Evelynn_ asked, the hopeful tone hinting in her voice reaching _Akali's_ ears crystal clear.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

"Good."

A moment of silence and though it was comfortable, _Akali_ abruptly yet softly called out. " _Eve?_ "

"Yes, darling?"

"You know I love you, right?"

Eyebrows somewhat furrowing, _Evelynn_ looked down and met _Akali's_ gaze when the rapper raised her head and stared back at her with sparkling blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dimly lit bedroom. It's been a while since she saw those blues gleaming without any hints of fear. She smiled, planting a kiss on _Akali's_ forehead.

"As much as I love you, I hope."

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

Back in Runeterra...

When Akali woke up, she expected to find herself laying on Heimerdinger's contraption and she'd probably be crowded by Vessaria, Heimerdinger himself and maybe a healer or two. Much to her absolute surprise, she opened her eyes only to discover that she had been transferred in what seemed to be a medical bay.

"Akali."

Head snapping to her right, there she found Shen seated on a chair, seemingly awaiting for her to regain consciousness. He was clad in his usual Kinkou garbs, but his mask wasn't there to conceal his face. Brown hair tied back to that little ponytail, there was nothing that obscured his face, which wore an expression that showed a mix of concern and relief.

"Shen?" Akali surveyed her surroundings, noting how the neighbouring beds in the ward were vacant. "Are we still at the Institute?"

Shen nodded. "We are. Institute Infirmary, specifically."

"How did you...-"

"Know you're here?"

Akali nodded.

"High Councilor informed me." He withdrew a letter, pinching the folded parchment between two fingers. "Sent me a letter about your condition."

"Condition?"

"You've been unconscious for two days."

Akali's eyes widened. "What!?"

"High Councilor has also explained everything. The experiments with the portal, you agreeing on volunteering for testing, everything."

Akali sighed, running her hands through her hair, which she realized was untied and let loose completely. She prepared herself to hear a lecture from the older ninja, but all she got was a calm stare that seemed to be waiting for her to speak.

There were dozens of questions she wanted to be answered, but her attempts of remembering everything that had happened during the recent experiment caused her to suffer a minor headache. Brief and hazy flashes of the memories crossed her mind and the more the tried to decipher each and every one of them, the more her headache worsened.

Regardless of the worsening pounding in her head, Akali still pushed herself to recall every little bit of memory she had of her dimensional travel, but all was met with a painful headache that kept getting more and more unbearable.

"Why can't I remember anything?"

"Heimerdinger wiped all of the memories you made during the initial test run and the recent phenomenon you partook."

"What? Why?"

"To make sure the demon could leave no attachment on you whatsoever." Shen sighed, already knowing what he was about to mention next. "And, Akali...-"

Akali tried remembering the things she had done with Evelynn's counterpart, but like earlier, it only caused her to suffer more of the headache. It's as if she was banging her head against concrete with every attempt she gave.

"What did they do to me?" Akali gritted out, hitting her temple with a fist over and over again. Any harder and Shen would highly likely stop her from continuing. "I can't... I can't remember her. Everything she said, everything we did during the first test... They wiped everything!?"

Lips formed into a line, Shen nodded. "Vessaria and Heimerdinger theorized that Evelynn might have left a trace of herself in your memories of her counterpart due to the corruption she had implanted, and so they both came to an agreement in removing them."

"They can't just do that! Those were _my_ memories!"

"Akali, no one is certain of the Zz'Rot portal's power and how much it might have amplified Evelynn's instilled corruption. When your consciousness was transferred to your dimensional twin's body, a connection was formed by Heimerdinger's contraption. Through that, Evelynn initially planted a corruption in the other Akali's head, and though after questioning, she confessed that she removed it entirely, we can never be too careful."

"But those were my memories, Shen! They were mine to keep! And so what if she could corrupt me? I could've fought back. My mind _isn't_ weak."

"I didn't say that it was."

"Yet you let them wipe my memories away! All because of the possibility of corruption!"

"Akali, listen to yourself!" Shen was never the type to shout and he didn't, but his voice thundered throughout the ward, silencing Akali. "You are willing to risk your entire self just for the sake of remembering memories of a person you would likely never see again."

"It's not my feelings for her that I'm angry about. It's the fact that _something_ was taken from me!" Akali snarled, hands gripping the blanket draped over her lap. "I'm so _tired_ of having everything I love _robbed_ from me. Those memories I made with the Evelynn of that world meant a great deal to me, and you just let them blank my memories of her out of my head."

"Akali...-"

"You know what? Forget it." Akali grunted out, averting her gaze from the Eye of Twilight. "It's done anyway. It's just a waste of time arguing with you."

Shen knew Akali's dismissive move was her trying to shut him out and despite wanting to help her recover from this whole ordeal, he knew he'll only make it worse if he were to explain even more of the reasons of the High Councilor's decision.

Unsurprisingly, Akali got off the bed without much of a care if she's recovered or not. She retrieved her belongings, which were all ready for her to take from the top of the the small table at the side. Shen stayed quiet and withheld his sigh as Akali disregarded his presence and decided to just storm out rather than staying and resting.

It was times like this he wished he knew Akali as much as Kennen did.

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Two days have passed yet the vixen was still contained in one of the many rooms at the Detention Center. Even though she had already come clean and told them every troublesome matter she had caused and done were fixed and back to normal, she was still subjected for confinement as punishment.

Unlike her previous periods of imprisonment though, she was enjoying herself in this little space she was contemplating in deeming as some sort of secondary home of hers. With how often she's been locked in this particular room, she had grown to appreciate the small luxuries it offered.

The bed was certainly more comfortable than caves, trees and dead people's bloodstained beds.

Evelynn hummed to herself as she toyed with the rubber ball she found in the drawer at the small bedside table. She easily grew bored of playing catch with the wall, so it wasn't surprising that she was just staring at it now, while her mind drifted elsewhere.

And by elsewhere, she meant the conversation she had with the High Councilor.

_"Why have her memories erased?"_

_Evelynn nonchalantly shrugged, remaining on the bed and keeping her gaze fixated on the ceiling of the room. She could spy Vessaria standing behind the glass at one side of the room, but she didn't seem to be interested in making eye contact throughout the inevitable questioning._

_"Would you believe me if I told you that the saying_ **_'emotions are weaknesses'_ ** _are much truer than most people think?" Evelynn queried insouciantly, sounding quite blasé towards her own question._

_Vessaria knew Evelynn wasn't the type to waste time with idle chatter, so she chose to humor her. "And if I do?"_

_"Then maybe it's best that you know that my abilities allow me to tamper with a person's emotions as well." Evelynn casually revealed. "I incite their lust from deep within them and with that connection, I can easily manipulate whatever else I could reach, specifically a victim's emotions."_

_"How is this related to the Rogue Assassin's memories of your dimensional counterpart?"_

_"Is it not obvious?" Evelynn sat up and turned to Vessaria, quirking an eyebrow. "She has become_ **_attached_ ** _to me, and that said attachment was fostered by my counterpart. The latter charmed her without even trying, which I honestly found amusing and somewhat impressive, I suppose."_

_"Why are you telling me all of this?"_

_"As comfortable as this holding room is, I don't have any plans in keeping myself trapped here. I'm doing what you want. Setting things back to what it once was."_

_"For argument's sake, let's say I believe you and we do erase Akali's memories... What comes after?" Vessaria asked with a skeptical look, arms crossing in front of her chest._

_"Our darling, little rogue will be able to trot around Runeterra with her mind clear and not at all possessing the nurtured attraction she developed."_

_"That also means... You have no hold on her?"_

_"Presumably so, yes." Evelynn shrugged. "Unless, of course, I choose to pursue her attention."_

_"You're giving up a substantial chance to acquire another victim." Vessaria pointed out before the distrust in her eyes became more evident. "Why?"_

_Evelynn chortled. "High Councilor, I thought you'd be delighted with this solution of mine."_

_"You're a demon that_ ** _lives_** _just to hear and feel_ _your victim's agony, so pardon me for doubting your choice in letting one escape your reach."_

_The Agony's Embrace hummed, not at all surprised by the woman's blatant wariness. "Your distrust is very amusing, Vessaria."_

_"Why not keep the attachment?"_

_"Do you want me to?" Came Evelynn's eager quip, a small but mischievous grin briefly showing._

_"I want to know_ **_why_ ** _you don't want to."_

_The grin was indeed short and it was vanquished by Vessaria's words, which seemed to have affected Evelynn in a way the High Councilor didn't expect. The demon vacated the bed, stalking towards the mirror until she was standing right in front of the obsidian-haired woman._

_"Keeping her memories leaves me the possible opportunity to control her emotions, specifically her desire for my attention. Leave it if you wish to put one of your precious champions in the perilous hands of another, more vicious creature."_

_Finishing the response that definitely did_ **_not_ ** _answer the given question, Evelynn turned away and dismissed Vessaria with the wordless gesture._

Evelynn sighed quietly, shaking her head when she realized her nails have punctured the ball during the fair moment she gave her mind to wander aimlessly through the recent interaction she had with the High Councilor.

"Love... _Ugh_." Evelynn rolled her eyes and tossed the ball aside, watching it bounce around for a few times before it rolled and settled at one of the corners of the room. "Never again."

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

To say that she was absolutely frustrated would be an understatement.

For the past week, Akali has been trying to remember the memories that were stolen from her. They were just blurs now and every single day that passed, it felt like they were just mere illusions she was trying so hard to hold onto. It pained her when she couldn't remember anything about _Evelynn_ and how she made her feel so much emotions that she didn't think she'd ever feel from _her_ of all people.

Not only was this maddening, but the guards at the Detention Center were given strict orders about prohibiting Akali from seeing the Agony's Embrace. She wanted answers and that demon was the only one who'd likely be willing to give them. Whatever the price may be, Akali was unafraid to offer what would be asked of her.

Unfortunately, by the end of the week, when Akali cornered and confronted one of the lower members of the High Council, she discovered that Evelynn had already been released from her imprisonment and that her current location was unknown.

As long as Evelynn didn't hurt anyone within Institute grounds and didn't terrorize any of the champions under their protection, then they had no reason to make themselves aware of her whereabouts. And so, if she wants to just disappear without a word, who were they to tell her otherwise?

"Hi."

Akali, who was just leaning on one of the pillars at the main hall and staring at the ground with her mind elsewhere, raised her head and found herself looking into vibrant violet eyes that reminded her so much of those precious gemstones summoners use at sanctioned battles.

"Kai'Sa."

"You look troubled." The half-voidspawn pointed out. "Is the demon bothering you again?"

"You mean Evelynn?" Came another voice, which they found out was from Ahri. The Nine-Tailed Fox was apparently with Kai'Sa and was just trailing a step behind her. Akali assumed they were talking with one another before they chose to approach her.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I actually _want_ her to bother me." Akali admitted, lips shaping into a frown. "I want to talk to her."

"Have you fallen in love with her as well?" Kai'Sa asked, unfazed when Akali looked like she nearly choked on her own breath.

"As well? In love? What're you talking about?" Akali didn't stutter at all, but she was fairly confident she could pass up the redness of her her ears and cheeks as a reaction of incredulity. But, judging form Ahri's obvious smirk, it's clear the _gumiho_ was not as convinced as their Void friend.

"Sivir and I have been exploring Shurima for the past week. It is much hotter and more arid than it is at the Void, but forming a bond with her makes the experience more than a bit bearable."

"You've been traveling together? Since when?"

"Since the Blade Mistress asked her to accompany her." Ahri said, smiling rather proudly for knowing the details. "They've become awfully fond of each other's company."

"Have you been following us?" Kai'Sa calmly asked, sounding genuinely curious rather than appalled.

"Oh no, not at all. I've been spending time with a different crew for the past few weeks. Though that doesn't mean the news around the Institute eludes me."

"A different crew?"

"Yasuo has been a welcomed company, and Sarah as well!"

"Sarah?" Both Kai'Sa and Akali asked in unison.

"Miss Fortune."

"Ah."

"Which reminds me..." Ahri made a gesture of excusing herself. "I need to go. I promised them I'd help with the expedition. Mainly tell stories about the memories I acquired from the past."

"How old are you?" Kai'Sa queried with furrowed eyebrows, while Akali stared back at her expectantly.

"I'm honestly not so sure myself." Ahri said, chuckling. "I know a lot of things, but not everything."

"Do you know where Evelynn is?" Akali abruptly asked before Ahri could even make a move in turning away from them.

"Oh, her? Well, I'm not so sure. Maybe she's visiting the graves again?"

"Graves?"

"There's a couple of unmarked graves at the outskirts of Everpeak in Demacia. It's a village near the Greenfang Mountains. I see Evelynn venture there from time to time."

"Doesn't she have a cult at Demacia?" Kai'Sa asked with a small tilt of her head. "Sivir warned me about her and how her worshippers in Demacia are all mad."

"Her cult is at Evenmoor, which is why I'm surprised she even stops by at Everpeak for those graves."

"Ahri," Akali started, taking a step towards the Nine-Tailed Fox. "do you know _anything_ about Evelynn? Of how she came to be? Where she came from initially?"

"Unfortunately, not enough for me to tell you what she might be once was." Ahri offered an apologetic look, knowing Akali was probably hoping for her to provide some answers. "I suggest you do your own expedition if you're interested in her origins. Peruse the Institute Archives and listen to the tales of the villagers at Demacia about the _'horned demon'_ that supposedly haunts them."

Akali wanted to further ask Ahri, but the _gumiho_ was quick to take her leave. She excused herself and headed off, saying something about familiarizing herself with the map Illaoi had given her. This, of course, left Akali with Kai'Sa, who looked at her with a half-interested gaze.

"Anything _you_ might know?" Akali asked, already knowing the possible response Kai'Sa could give.

"All that I'm aware of is that she has a cult and that she is extremely dangerous." Kai'Sa glanced over to another part of the main hall, spotting Sivir, who seemed to be on her way to the dining area. "Explore with caution, I suppose."

Akali nodded, which Kai'Sa deemed as the end of their exchange. Excusing herself as well, the half-voidspawn nodded at Akali before heading off on her way, which left the rogue to sigh and shake her head at her current predicament.

The High Council had given her a temporary break from her duties as a champion in the Institute, but she knew that it wouldn't last forever. If she was going to make a journey to Demacia, then she might as well start sooner rather than later. Grasping at straws when it came to those taken memories, Akali needed to move on and find an alternative way in spending the time and freedom from responsibilities.

Nodding to herself upon making her decision in her head, Akali made her way to the Institute Archives, where she intended to start this self-given fact-finding quest of hers.

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

Dropping a few more bound pages on the table, Akali settled on one of the chairs and started skimming through the books and parchments with a keen gaze. She was thankful one of the summoners she crossed paths with was nice enough to assist her in gathering every book and document that could relate to Evelynn and the demon that lurk around the lands of Demacia.

The summoner had told her about how one of the champions from the aforementioned nation, Shauna Vayne, was apparently someone who had seen the horned demon when she was younger. Some of the papers Akali was looking through now were actually reports and documented journeys written by Vayne herself, which proved to be insightful.

Akali discovered further proof and connection between Evelynn and the horned demon, and that the cult that worshipped her would offer her live sacrifices just to catch sight of her demonic beauty.

After what seemed to be two, or maybe more, hours of reading and researching, Akali sighed and placed the document she was reading down on the table as she stared absently at the sorted piles of parchments and journals.

"How...?"

How could someone as bloodthirsty and cruel as Evelynn be someone so different in another world? Akali kept asking herself this.

 _Evelynn_ was the opposite of Evelynn. That statement alone would confuse anyone but Akali herself, who knew the difference between the pair.

The memory of _Evelynn_ tending to her hand when it was injured by the glass shards fleeted across her mind and Akali looked down to the mentioned hand, her fingers tracing the almost invisible scars. The frown on her face made it looks like she was glaring at her palm.

The feeling of _Evelynn's_ tender care was indescribable, and now Akali was back to the point she was once in before she agreed on testing Heimerdinger's contraption for the first time.

"I miss you..."

 _Evelynn_ wasn't even hers to claim as her lover, yet she did. She _truly_ missed her.

"Rogue Assassin?"

Akali snapped her head up, clearing her throat and shifting on her seat when she found the same summoner that had assisted her earlier walking up to her table.

"Summoner." She greeted with a nod. "Is there something you need?"

"Oh, I... I can't help but notice how you seem to have taken an interest in the Agony's Embrace and her... unexplainable past and origin."

"It's nothing serious." Akali was quick to say, not wanting the summoner to make any further assumptions. "She _has_ been causing questionable troubles, after all."

The summoner hummed in agreement, nodding. "She's not easily tameable. I myself am uncertain if such is even possible for a demon like her."

Akali cleared her throat again before she asked, "Is there anything else I could help you with, summoner...?"

"Summoner Adam." The summoner reached a hand out, which Akali shook.

"Summoner Adam." Akali acknowledged with a nod. "I don't mean to be rude, but I just want to continue this research of mine in peace."

"Of course, of course. But, I figured you'd want to read this." Adam withdrew a very timeworn book from his robes, handing it to Akali, who carefully accepted the item. It was older than the rest of the old texts they had gathered from the archives.

In fact, when Akali took a closer look at the book, it became clear that it was more of a journal. It also had a couple of traces of not dust, but _dirt_. When she flicked through the pages, loose soil fell from in between them.

Eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion, Akali asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Somewhere at the back area of the archives."

"It's... dirty." Literally.

"I'm sure it's just dust." Adam bowed his head, brushing some of his white hair away from his face. "I'll leave you to it now. I'm certain you'll find the answers you're seeking for in there."

Akali's confusion further increased, but when she raised her head to ask what Adam meant, she found that the summoner had already left and was nowhere in sight. Shaking her head, Akali lowered her attention back to the journal, which she laid on the table and started deliberately reading the entries one by one.

Entry after entry, Akali slowly got the gist of the owner of the old journal.

The owner was a woman and she was deemed as one of the most beautiful damsels in Demacia at the time the entries were written. In the village of Everpeak, she was the one that every man courted and every woman envied.

 **Date:** \-- _/--/--_

_I've had many suitors, yet HE is the only one. The only one who has taken my breath away not only with his charming smile but his eyes as well. His eyes. Oh, his eyes. They're as blue as the sky itself. His voice, its deep, baritone sound... How I wonder how it could incite flutters in my heart?_

_Many seems to fancy him, but he fancies me and ONLY me. It's one of those days I'm thankful for this beauty of mine. I hope I charm him as much as he charms me._

Akali's eyebrows were once again knitted together. How was _this_ connected to Evelynn? Was this a journal from one of her victims?

Though she was unsure where this was leading, Akali continued on. In the entries that came after the one above, she discovered how the man, who was always mentioned and described yet never named in the entries, had enamoured the owner of the journal and eventually proposed to her after much extravagant courting.

But, after reading past the whole bright and exciting wedding, the seemingly happy love story turned dark rather quickly. She read how the woman and her new husband had moved to a nice and fairly wide house, but the following entry after that was what made Akali tense in her seat.

This particular page she was reading had no date written and was crumpled more than the others. It's as if it was wet with something, tears Akali assumed, before it dried and eventually aged with time. The writings looked unsteady, as if it was written by shaking hands. It was the absolute opposite of the pristine handwriting from the past entries.

 **Date:** ________

_He hurt me. They hurt me. They touched me..._

_I don't want this. I never wanted this._

Akali blinked at quite possibly the shortest entry she has ever read so far from the journal. She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling some sort of sickness at the pit of her stomach when she forced herself to turn the page.

That brief entry was more than enough for Akali to know what might have been done, and just by the thought of such made her want to hunt down those who's responsible for the pain that was inflicted onto the woman.

Again, the next entry was short and dateless.

 **Date:** ________

_I thought he loved me. Loved me for who I really am. Not just my face, my body._

_I was wrong. Is this the price of love? Agony?_

Akali released a breath she was apparently holding, forcing herself once again to turn and read yet another entry. This one indeed being the shortest entry.

 **Date** : ________

_Never again._

After that, the remaining pages of the journal were empty and bore nothing else but dirt stains. Akali rested herself back on the chair, staring at the journal, which was open on the last, shortest entry in the frayed leather book.

It didn't take long for every piece to fall into place, and when they did, Akali was consumed by the urge to search every corner of the Institute just to speak to Evelynn. She didn't know she would say, but then again, she never predicted the story behind the succubus was so... heart-wrenching.

This wasn't from one of Evelynn's many victims. The victim _was_ her.

Then, something clicked in her head.

_'Summoner Adam!'_

Other manuscripts and books forgotten, Akali just closed the journal and carried it with her as she abandoned the table and rushed out of the Institute Archives. In her haste, she nearly collided with the other summoners browsing around the wide area.

When she caught no sight of Adam on her way out, she approached the person stationed at the desk near the entrance, where the main archivist could be seen sorting through the newly delivered documents.

"Pardon?"

The archivist turned and offered a polite smile to the Ionian. "Rogue Assassin, is there something I can help you with? Are you done with your research?"

"Actually, I want to ask something. Do you also keep track of the summoners that peruse the archives?"

"We do. It's a common protocol."

"Is there a Summoner Adam on the list?"

"Hmm, let me check the record." The head archivist moved towards the open log book, his eyes skimming down the list of names. "I'm afraid not a single summoner named Adam is on the list."

That was enough of a confirmation for Akali. She nodded and gave her thanks to the man before she hurried out of the Archives. She thought about checking Evelynn's champion chambers, but then she remembered that no one was even sure that she was still at the Institute.

Despite feeling vastly discouraged by the idea of looking for someone that wasn't even there, Akali pushed through with her search, which might as well be endless if Evelynn has indeed left already.

The search went on for hours and by the time it was nightfall, Akali was hungry and exhausted. Her appetite wasn't as present as it usually was though. She merely swiped an apple from the mess hall before she retreated in her champion quarters, worn-out journal still in hand. Stepping into her chambers and swallowing the bite she had just taken, Akali was abruptly greeted by an unexpected guest.

"They screamed."

Akali jumped and literally dropped the journal and the half-eaten apple on the floor, hands drawing her kunai and kama from its place behind her before she snapped her gaze to the direction where the voice originated.

Evelynn was lounging on her bed, the summoner robes elegantly clothing her greyish-skinned, shadowy body.

Akali slowly lowered her weapons, her eyes cautiously trained on the demon she's been looking for. "You're here."

Evelynn disregarded her acknowledgment and decided to continue what she was saying.

"They screamed." She repeated before grinning and showing off her beastly teeth. "Just as much as I did."

Casually slipping off the bed and shrugging off the summoner robes that fell into a pile of cloth on the floor, Evelynn slowly stalked towards Akali with her grin turning into an idle yet devilish smile.

"Forcing me to do this, to do that. Taking me on whatever flat surface they could find. Shushing me with ghastly rags. Stripping me down from the very last ounce of my decency." Evelynn then gestured to her sides to present the entirety of herself, the smile on her face betraying. "No wonder a monster was born out of the impropriety."

Akali only realized she had let her guard down when Evelynn advanced towards her and so easily stole her weapons from her, disarming her without much of an effort. The clatter of the weaponry dropped on the floor fell on deaf ears as the two champions stared at one another.

"Now that you know..." Evelynn bent down and plucked the journal from the ground, making a show of dusting it. "Maybe you'll finally accept the fact that I have no heart."

"You had a heart." Was the only thing Akali could utter at the moment.

"Indeed. I _had_ a heart." Evelynn leaned in, whispering as their faces hovered across one another with so little distance. "Shattered and forgotten, and I have no plans in picking up the shards just to piece it back together. I much prefer killing people with it."

Shifting, Evelynn gave a featherlight kiss on Akali's cheek, her cold yet soft lips contrasting with the Ionian's warm skin. It was a sarcastic gesture, not a heartfelt, meaningful kiss, yet it made Akali's heart skip a beat.

"Don't even dare thinking _you_ could fix it. You'll merely cut yourself. Or worse."

"Or worse?"

Evelynn smiled, huskily murmuring, "I might just sink my claws into you, darling. Tear that strong, beating heart of yours through the bones of your ribs and take a sweet bite out of it."

Akali shuddered, the hairs on her arms and nape standing.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've tasted one."

She should jump back and run away. Draw another kunai, throw a shuriken at the demon, do _something_ to defend herself from the supposed threat before her. But, Akali stayed her ground and remained visibly unfazed by the sweetly-uttered warning.

"Here."

Akali lowered her gaze, where she felt Evelynn grasp one of her hands and raise her open palm under the kunai pendant she dangled on top and in between them. The accessory was dropped on her hand, which was pushed close by none other than the demon herself.

"I'm done with you."

Evelynn gestured for her to move, one of her lashers pushing Akali aside enough for her to get to the door without any more blockage. When she reached for the door handle though, a hand was suddenly clasped around her wrist. Instead of turning and looking over her shoulder, Evelynn kept her gaze trained on the door.

"I'm not letting you go. Not when I can finally talk to you."

A small, sly grin played on Evelynn's lips. "Is that a proposition?"

"I prefer the term _invitation_."

"Oh?" Evelynn finally turned, feeling Akali release her wrist when their gazes reconnected once again. "Is that so?"

"Did they suffer?" Was the sudden query, and Evelynn certainly didn't miss how Akali's eyes darkened.

"They screamed, didn't they?"

"Anybody can scream." Akali said before repeating her question with as much emphasis as she could give. "I asked. Did. They. Suffer?"

The smile that showed on Evelynn's face said it all. "Tremendously."

"...Good."

Was it her or was Akali emitting a vastly appealing amount of bloodlust?

**xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Aaaaaahhhh! This one's finally done! I don't know what I'm doing with this story. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really feel like this story's really whack and out of the blue, so I don't know where to take the whole flow of it. ;~;
> 
> But apparently, you peeps seem to like it, so onward I go with typing. ^^"
> 
> “I tasted peace once. Didn't work for me.” is a line from Evelynn in the game and that's where I got the idea of giving her the very tragic backstory that was mentioned in this piece.
> 
> Big thanks to @FelFoxling for commissioning this continuation! If it weren't for her, this story would have stayed longer in my drafts and I wouldn't even be able to give any of a guaranteed date of its upload. :3
> 
> Anyway, till my next update~ ^u^/

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Welp, the whole thing started with Kai'Sa, so it ends with her as well! Sorry if the story's too confusing or what because of the double characters xD
> 
> This was an out of the blue idea I thought of and ended up typing thanks to the artwork of @sharp_armpits from Twitter! Go check their art out! ^^ 
> 
> I don't know if I'll write a continuation of this or what, but meh, never say never, right? ;)
> 
> Anyway, till the next story~


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